ARLINGTON, Texas (May 3, 2025) — Third-year program Lubbock Christian made history Saturday at the Arlington Tennis Center, outlasting No. 24 Midwestern State 4-3 in a gritty Lone Star Conference Championship dual match to capture the program's first LSC tournament title and punch its ticket to a third straight NCAA Division II South Central Regional berth.
The fifth-ranked Chaps had to overcome early adversity after Midwestern State (15-6) seized the doubles point with wins at the bottom two lines. At No. 3, the Mustangs' duo of Juan Duque and Killian Guillou capitalized on early LCU misfires for a 6-2 win over
Pablo Segura and
Andres De Los Rios. The momentum carried into No. 2 doubles where Bruno Sanchez and Justin Van Amerongen overpowered
Mattia Ghedin and
Marco Seccia, 6-3, to clinch the opening point. The top-line matchup between ranked pairings—MSU's 12th-ranked tandem of Stephen Slocombe and Filip Vacula and LCU's 35th-ranked
Kelly Giese and
Jordan Georgiev—was left unfinished with LCU leading 5-2.
Lubbock Christian (22-2) responded in singles, turning the tide with its depth. Ghedin was the first off, cruising past Slocombe 6-1, 6-2 at line three to even the match at 1-1. Seccia followed at No. 5, continuing his strong spring with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 win over Van Amerongen to give LCU its first lead of the day. He improved to 12-3 in dual play.
Segura, ranked No. 13 nationally, gave LCU a critical third point at No. 2, dismantling 29th-ranked Sanchez 6-1, 6-4 to stretch his team-best win total to 28. The senior also earned LSC Tournament MVP honors, closing the championship with his eighth consecutive singles win and a 4-2 mark this season against ranked foes.
Midwestern State wouldn't go away. Duque, ranked 40th nationally, evened the dual at 3-3 by closing out a tough 7-5, 6-1 win over
Blas Ruiz Romero at No. 6 singles. Vacula, ranked No. 18, then handed Giese just his third loss of the season against a ranked opponent in a tense 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 battle at the top spot, snapping Giese's 14-match singles win streak and tying the dual once more at 3-3.
With all eyes on Court 4,
Andres De Los Rios delivered in the clinching role. After dropping the opening set 6-4 to Jose Marquez, De Los Rios rallied with poise, capturing the second set 7-5 and prevailing in a nervy third, 6-4. De Los Rios improved to 10-2 in duals at the No. 4 spot and logged his 22nd singles victory of the season—tied for second on the team with Giese.
The result marks a landmark win for LCU, which becomes LSC tournament champions for the first time since the program's NCAA Division II rebirth three years ago. Four Chaps earned spots on the LSC All-Tournament Team: Segura (MVP), Giese, De Los Rios, and Seccia.
Lubbock Christian now awaits Monday's NCAA Selection Show, set for 7 p.m. CT, where they anticipate hosting one of the South Central Region sites (two sites). The Chaps have made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and now enter their third with program-best momentum.
