TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (Nov. 7, 2026) —
Pablo Segura won twice to reach the national quarterfinals and
Andrea De Bernardo recorded the first ITA national-event singles victories in Lubbock Christian University women's tennis history, giving LCU a memorable showing at the inaugural ITA Division II Singles & Doubles Championships at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center.
Segura finished 2-1 in the 32-player men's singles field, advancing through the round of 32 and round of 16 before falling to the tournament's No. 1 national seed in Friday's quarterfinals. De Bernardo rebounded from a narrow opening-round defeat to win each of her two consolation matches, including a pair of victories over nationally seeded opponents, as both LCU qualifiers completed the guaranteed three-match minimum provided to championship participants.
The event marked a new chapter for Division II tennis. The ITA launched the Division II Singles & Doubles Championships in 2026 as a dedicated individual national championship after Division II was removed from the ITA Cup beginning this fall. The championship features 32-player singles draws and 16-team doubles fields for both men and women, with regional champions and finalists earning automatic berths and the remaining positions filled through at-large selections.
De Bernardo earned
LCU's automatic qualification after finishing as the women's singles runner-up at the ITA South Central Regional in October, while Segura received one of the men's at-large selections.
Weather immediately altered the championship schedule Wednesday. Inclement weather forced opening-round singles play indoors, including both LCU matches, with play shifted to the indoor courts at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center and additional indoor courts in the area. Because of the indoor adjustment, deciding third sets were played as 10-point match tiebreaks rather than conventional full third sets.
Segura opened his second career appearance at an ITA national event with a three-set victory over
Biola's Guilherme Moraes Gracioli, the ITA West Region champion. After Segura claimed a tight opening-set tiebreak 7-6 (7-4), Gracioli responded 6-2 in the second set before Segura controlled the deciding match tiebreak 10-6.
The victory moved Segura into Thursday's round of 16 against Ferris State's Kevin Kovacs, who entered the championship as the No. 8 national seed. Segura produced his most decisive performance of the event, defeating Kovacs 6-4, 6-3 to become one of the final eight players in the national singles bracket. Kovacs had earned his place in Tuscaloosa after winning the ITA Midwest Region singles championship earlier in the fall.
Segura's run ended Friday against top-seeded Simon Malis of Flagler College. Malis edged Segura in a first-set tiebreak 7-6 (7-5) before completing a 6-4 second set to advance from the quarterfinals.
The 2-1 showing gave Segura three career victories at ITA national events, the most by an LCU men's player. He surpassed
Kelly Giese, who won twice during a 2-1 run to the ITA Cup semifinals in 2025. Segura also competed at the 2025 ITA Cup, where he collected one consolation victory, giving the senior a 3-3 career record across his two national-event appearances. Giese had previously set
LCU's standard for a single national event by reaching the 2025 ITA Cup semifinals with victories over Indianapolis' Asier Ayllon Prado and Cameron's Lukas Janousek.
For De Bernardo, Tuscaloosa represented her second career ITA national-event appearance but her first in singles. The senior previously qualified in doubles for the 2024 ITA Cup before earning her 2026 singles berth by reaching the South Central Regional championship match.
Her opening match Wednesday against Embry-Riddle's Daniela Fernandez
Junquera went the distance. Fernandez Junquera rallied to take the first set 6-4 before De Bernardo answered with a 6-3 second set. Fernandez Junquera ultimately claimed the match tiebreak 10-6 to advance to the round of 16.
De Bernardo responded Thursday by producing a milestone victory against Mississippi Christian's Emily Buchanan. The
matchup was the third meeting between the two during the 2026 calendar year and the second during the fall season. Buchanan had won both previous meetings in Tyler, defeating De Bernardo 4-6, 6-4 in their Feb. 21 meeting and rallying for a 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 victory during the Tyler Invitational on Sept. 24.
This time, De Bernardo turned the result around.
She defeated Buchanan, the No.2 national seed, 6-1, 7-5 in the consolation round to earn the first singles victory by a Lady Chaparral at an ITA national event.
De Bernardo added another victory Friday, defeating Northwest Missouri State's nationally seeded No.8
Polina Gontaryk in straight sets. De Bernardo took a closely contested opening set 7-6 (7-3) and then pulled away 6-2 in the second to close the championship with consecutive victories and a 2-1 record.
Her performance capped a fall in which she became the first Lady Chaparral to reach the ITA South Central Regional singles final and then the first LCU women's player to win a singles match at an ITA national event. The ITA also highlighted De Bernardo among its players to watch entering the inaugural championship after her five-match run through the South Central Regional.
Both Segura and De Bernardo were making their second appearances on an ITA national stage, but under a dramatically different format than previous seasons.
Division II had competed as part of the ITA Cup through 2025, with the event using a smaller 16-player singles bracket. Beginning in 2026, Division II received its own standalone ITA individual national championship, while the ITA Cup continues to crown champions in NCAA Division III, NAIA and junior college competition. The ITA confirmed that 2026 is the first season in which Division II no longer participates in the ITA Cup.
The change also restores a dedicated individual national-championship structure to a division whose NCAA postseason has focused exclusively on team competition for more than three decades. NCAA Division II moved to a team-only tennis championship format beginning with the 1995 championships, eliminating the singles and doubles portions that had previously accompanied the team championship.
The ITA now provides the division's national individual championship opportunity in the fall. Division II remains the only NCAA tennis division without an NCAA-sponsored singles and doubles championship, a distinction the ITA cited in creating the new event.
The 2026 championship was conducted Nov. 4-8 at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center through a partnership between the ITA and Visit Tuscaloosa. The ITA has committed to keeping the event in Tuscaloosa through at least 2028, with the facility receiving upgrades ahead of the inaugural championship.
Although the championship runs through Sunday, LCU's involvement concluded Friday after each player completed three singles matches. The championship guarantees every qualifier at least three matches, with players eliminated from the main draw continuing in consolation competition until meeting that minimum rather than playing a complete consolation bracket to a championship.
Segura and De Bernardo now close the fall portion of LCU's 2026-27 tennis schedule. The Chaparrals and Lady Chaparrals will return to competition during the spring dual season, with the spring schedule yet to be announced.
