Longwood Falls to North Alabama in UTR Sports NIT Championship Semifinals, 4-2
By Longwood Athletics
ROME, Ga. — The Longwood men's tennis team saw its season come to a close with a 4-2 loss to North Alabama in the semifinals of the 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College on Thursday.
The third-seeded Lancers rallied to within 3-2 with singles victories from sophomore Daniel Lopez and and junior Daniel Borisov on courts four and two, respectively, however No. 2 North Alabama advanced with a three-set victory at No. 6.
Lopez topped Alex Despoja 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 to cut into the Lions' lead. Borisov then dispatched Alberto Altur, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, to pull his team within one.
North Alabama's Satoru Nakajima got by senior Alejandro Uribe, 6-0, in the third set to clinch the match after the players split the first two sets. Uribe won the first, 6-4, while Nakajima returned the favor in the second, taking it by the same score.
The Lions opened the match winning the doubles point. Lachlan Brain and Samu Dominguez defeated Lopez and Uribe, 6-3, at No. 3 before Izan Orgiles and Altur beat Timéo Puech and Borisov, 6-4, at No. 1. Nakajima and Despoja were up on Marko Mrdak and Rufus Plane, 5-4, when that match was halted.
North Alabama extended the lead to 2-0 as Orgiles defeated Plane, 6-4, 6-0, at No. 3. Dominguez then topped Mrdak, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 5.
The match ended with Puech leading 4-1 in the third set against Brain at No. 1.Puech won the first set, 6-4, while Brain responded with to take the second, 6-3.
North Alabama (15-9) will meet either top-seeded Virginia Tech or No. 4 Chattanooga in the championship match Friday at 9 a.m.
At 13-7 overall, the Lancers tallied the most wins in a season since 2019.