INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 24, 2023) – The NCAA announced the 48-team field of the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship, and making their first-ever appearance in the field is Lubbock Christian University, who is the No.4-seed in the South Central Region and will head to Lawton, Okla. to face No.1-seed Cameron. The match is slated for a 11 a.m. start Friday at Streich-Henry Tennis Complex (was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but moved due to weather).   
 
The Chaps seek to add another chapter to a successful 2022-23 campaign, which is their first intercollegiate season of men's tennis since 1982. The Chaps are 12-9 this season (in duals) and completed a Lone Star Conference schedule in fourth place with a 5-3 mark.
 
They face a No.11 Aggies squad that is 15-3 this season and coming off a Lone Star Conference Championship title (they finished second in the LSC with a 7-0 conference record). Cameron defeated LCU 6-1 Apr. 15 in Lubbock. They feature a pair of nationally ranked doubles teams with Tomas Almeida and Thomas Cardona teaming up to carry a No.15 national ranking. Joao Deuleba and Baptiste Mercier are nationally ranked No.24. Almeida (No.19) and Cardona (No.60) are each nationally ranked in singles.
 
Martins Abamu was named LSC Newcomer of the Year this season and he has had a solid season, which started off by claiming the singles championship of the ITA South Central Region Tournament (received an invite to the ITA Cup in the fall). Currently ranked No.25 in singles by the ITA, the Lagos, Nigeria native is 21-8 overall in singles play this season and 16-8 in doubles matches. Abamu, 4-2 against nationally ranked opponents, has gone 12-2 when playing the No.1 singles slot this season. He went 4-4 in LSC singles play and 5-2 in LSC doubles play during the regular season. Abamu is 6-3 in his last 10 singles (one unfinished) and 8-2 in his last 10 doubles matches played. He was named Co-Sportsmanship Player of the Year, which headlined the LSC Men's Tennis Sportsmanship Team (exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct while displaying the true spirit of competition and college tennis). Abamu is slated to play in the No.3-doubles alongside teammate Herman Aguirre. The tandem went 5-2 in LSC play together, with a 12-5 overall record.
 
Kelly Giese heads into the LSC Championships ranked No.64 in singles and No.27 in doubles (with Braden Tipton) by the ITA. The freshman from Manhattan Beach, Calif. is 18-9 overall this season in singles, going 13-7 in duals (in singles) and went 6-2 in singles in LSC duals. Primarily playing No.2-singles matches, Giese is 10-5 in No.2-singles matches and 3-2 in No.1-singles matches. Giese (7-3 in his last 10 singles matches played) is 1-0 in singles against national ranked opponents.
 
Joining with Tipton, the Giese/Tipton tandem is 17-7 overall on the season. They went 6-2 in LSC dual doubles play and 13-5 overall in duals doubles play. They are 4-2 against nationally ranked programs and 8-2 in their last 10 doubles played. Tipton is also a freshman, as the Lubbock native came to LCU from Frenship High School.
 
LCU's doubles teams went 14-10 this season in LSC duals (50-34 overall). The No.2-doubles team (for LCU) slated to face Cameron is Alex Donnelly and Matthijs Mallee. The pair went 2-3 in LSC duals and they are 9-5 overall this season.
 
In the previous meeting against Cameron, LCU fell 6-1, with the lone point coming from singles win by Tipton. The freshman has played eight matches in the No.6 singles spot, where he has a 7-1 record this season. He is 11-8 in overall duals and has won his last six singles matches played. Also expected to fill the roster is Sabri Laphitz and Carlos Gutierrez. Laphitz has a 4-3 record playing in No.4-singles.
 
The winner of Friday's dual will join a field of 16 programs in Orlando, Fla., which is the final site of the championships. The USTA National Campus hosts the championships May 11-16.