The University of North Alabama men’s tennis team closes the fall season in high energy. Junior Lachlan Brain won the UTR Sports College Circuit title, hosted by Belmont in Tennessee on Nov. 8 through Nov. 10. The women’s team finished the Chattanooga Invite with 17 wins out of 22 matches at the UTC Tennis Center.
The tournament was cut short due to weather restrictions, resulting in back draw matches not happening. Matches were set to a two out of three structure, with a 10 point tiebreak if a third set was to happen.
Brain took home five wins to sum up to nine total UNA victories. He first beat three Belmont tennists, needing only two sets to finish each. Brain took on Finn Pollard on a 6-4,6-0, following to face Charlie Robin at 6-3, 6-4. Finally, Brain earned his place at the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 against Morgan Woodson.
The final campaign against Vanderbilt’s Nathan Cox was another certain match for the junior, taking it on voraciously on a 7-5, 6-3 score.
Senior Nazar Fedoryshin, sophomores Birtan Duran and Alberto Altur and freshman Satoru Nakajima all secured a win each, adding up to UNA’s nine total.
In total, the Lions took home 92 wins in the fall.
The women traveled to Chattanooga to face the hosts, Jacksonville State and Bellarmine, winning all Bellarmine doubles and Chattanooga singles matches.
The tournament opened with doubles against rival Jacksonville State. Senior Anoek Pruijmboom and junior Eeva Ristola took on Polina Ramenskaja and Irene Artigas for a 7-5 finish. Sophomores Emma Ansorge and Ada Karabacak faced Aneka Patel and Lea Erenda for a 6-2 final.
UNA also outdid the Gamecocks on the singles matches, 4-2. Stanislava Bobrovnikova, Karabacak, Ristola and Mathilde Delaney were responsible for a win each.
Facing Chattanooga, Bobrovnikova managed an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 against Moc Rozalie Dohnalova. Karabacak, Ansorge and Delaney added the next three wins. UNA and Chattanooga tied for doubles wins.
With only doubles to go, Bobrovnikova and Pruijmboom faced Bellarmine’s Ekaterina Tikhonko and Yeva Kramarova for a 6-3 win. Delaney and Karabacak managed a 6-2 against their opponents, and so did Ansorge and Ristola, matching their teammates’ score against Reese Parker and Lillie Parker.
Facing Jacksonville in doubles, Bobrovnikova and Pruijmboom were on fire, winning 6-1 against Ramenskaja and Artigas. Delaney and Karabacak defeated Patel and Erenda in an impressive 6-0.
Finally, junior Lena Karlovcan and freshman Peyton Parrish achieved their first win of the tournament by taking on Gamecocks Syrova and Thomason.
Under director of tennis Olaya Garrido-Rivas, the women’s finish the season with 70 wins total. The Lions will come back to action in the Spring of 2025.
