ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (May 22, 2025) — A spot in the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis National Championship final is on the line Friday morning, as No. 4-seed Lubbock Christian University and top-seeded, No. 1-ranked Valdosta State meet for the first time in program history in a high-stakes semifinal clash at Sanlando Park. First serve is slated for 8 a.m. CT.
Lubbock Christian (25-2), ranked No. 5 nationally by the ITA, is in uncharted territory, having advanced deeper into the NCAA postseason than ever before in just its third year of the program's existence. The Chaparrals rallied past Grand Valley State 4-2 in Wednesday's national quarterfinals, bouncing back from a lost doubles point with four straight-set singles wins.
Pablo Segura, ranked No. 13 in the country, delivered the clincher at line two, notching his 10th straight singles win and becoming the first player in program history to reach 30 singles victories in a season.
The Chaps are riding a wave of momentum in Florida, having opened the tournament's final-site appearance with a 4-0 sweep of Queens (N.Y.) and following with a gritty comeback against GVSU. Singles depth has been key to LCU's historic run, with Segura,
Mattia Ghedin, and
Andres De Los Rios all unbeaten at the final site. Ghedin, who has posted 21 singles wins, has also paired with
Marco Seccia for back-to-back doubles victories. The Lone Star Conference tournament champions boast a 12-1 mark against nationally ranked teams and are 2-1 versus top-10 foes this season. LCU is 3-2 in their program history in NCAA postseason play (appeared in NCAA postseason in each of their three seasons of existence at NCAA level).
Awaiting the Chaps is the juggernaut of Division II tennis in Valdosta State (24-0), which brings a 40-match win streak into Friday's semifinal. The defending national champions outlasted Indianapolis 4-1 in the quarterfinals, leaning on its elite singles lineup and a clutch doubles point won by ITA No. 5-ranked tandem Takeshi Taco and Xaveam Van Wijk. Taco, the nation's No. 2-ranked singles player, cruised to a straight-set win at the top line, improving to 22-1 on the season.
VSU's roster is loaded with firepower, featuring three players ranked inside the ITA top 20 in singles: Taco (No. 2), Boruch Skierkier (No. 3), and Edgar Destouet (No. 20). Destouet clinched Wednesday's win against his former team, sealing the match in a three-set battle at line four. The Blazers also have three nationally ranked doubles pairs and have captured 17 Gulf South Conference titles, making their 30th NCAA postseason appearance and third straight trip to the final site.
While LCU is writing a Cinderella story in its national tournament debut, Valdosta State is chasing its fourth NCAA crown and a chance to become the first repeat champion since Barry University accomplished the feat in 2022. The winner of Friday's duel will advance to Saturday's national championship final, set for 9 a.m. CT.
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Lubbock Christian and Valdosta State in men's tennis, but there is a bit of shared postseason history between the two head coaches. LCU's Hutton Jones and VSU's John Hansen previously squared off in the 2010 NCAA Division II quarterfinals, when Jones was leading Abilene Christian. That match, also held in Altamonte Springs, Florida, ended in a 5–1 victory for Hansen's Blazers and brought ACU's season to a close. While Jones compiled a 432–230 record in 23 seasons with the Wildcats, a national semifinal berth always eluded him — including in that 2010 matchup with Hansen, who still leads VSU's program.
Live scoring will be available via LCUchaps.com and it is expected that the NCAA is providing video streams of the semifinals contests. All possibility of links will be posted on LCUchaps.com, along as being distributed on their social media channels.
