LUBBOCK, Texas (January 29, 2025) — The Lone Star Conference announced its 2026 Tennis Players to Watch, recognizing four Lubbock Christian University student-athletes as the spring dual-match season approaches. LCU was represented by Kelly Giese and Pablo Segura on the men's list, along with AnaMaria Zoric and Andrea De Bernardo on the women's side.
 
The annual list, released ahead of February's start of conference competition, features 40 student-athletes nominated by their respective institutions, with two representatives selected from each of the league's nine men's and 11 women's programs. The timing reflects the shift in NCAA Division II tennis from fall individual tournaments to spring dual matches, which determine conference standings and postseason qualification.
 
Giese, a junior from Manhattan Beach, California, enters the spring as one of the nation's top-ranked players after earning a No. 4 national singles ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). He finished the fall semester 11–4 in singles play, qualified for the ITA Cup and opens dual competition as the No. 1 singles player in the South Central Region. Segura, a junior from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, also garnered national recognition, earning a No. 18 ITA singles ranking following an 8–6 fall record against a nationally competitive schedule.
 
The men's selections underscore the depth of an LCU program that advanced to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals last season and begins the spring ranked No. 5 nationally in the ITA Preseason Coaches Poll, one of seven Lone Star Conference teams appearing in the national rankings.
 
On the women's side, Zoric, a sophomore from Dubrovnik, Croatia, was recognized after climbing to a career-best No. 34 national singles ranking during the fall. She finished the semester 6–5 in singles play and enters the spring ranked No. 4 in the South Central Region. De Bernardo, a junior from Caracas, Venezuela, posted a 5–4 singles record in the fall and earned a No. 18 regional ranking, continuing her role as a steady presence in the upper half of LCU's lineup.
 
The Lady Chaps open the spring season nationally ranked for the first time in program history, debuting at No. 25 in the ITA Preseason Coaches Poll following their first NCAA postseason appearance a year ago.
 
According to the conference release, 10 Players to Watch across the league hold national singles rankings, including three from LCU, further highlighting the program's growing national profile. Seven Lone Star Conference teams appear in the ITA preseason national rankings across the men's and women's polls.
 
Conference dual-match play begins in early February and leads into the Lone Star Conference Tennis Championships, scheduled for April 30–May 2 at the Arlington Tennis Center in Arlington, Texas. The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships will follow May 19–24 at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona.