INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (February 15, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University closed its first-ever appearance at the ITA NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships with a 5–2 loss to Lone Star Conference rival UT Tyler on Sunday afternoon in the tournament's fifth-place match at the USTA Midwest Tennis Center.
 
The Chaparrals (3–3), who qualified for the eight-team national event after advancing to last season's NCAA Division II semifinals, opened the dual by claiming the doubles point.
The first doubles match to finish came at No. 2, where Andres De Los Rios and Pablo Segura earned a 6–4 victory over Samuel Antwi and Artiom Dorofeev. UT Tyler answered at No. 3, as Job Japelj and Trevor Short defeated Marco Seccia and Andrea Rossi Principe 6–4. The point was decided at No. 1 doubles, where Kelly Giese and Mattia Ghedin secured a 7–5 win against Malo Poulesquen and Carel Wessel to give LCU a 1–0 lead.
 
Singles play began emphatically for the Chaparrals. The first match off the court came at No. 1 singles, where No. 4 Giese dominated No. 10 Poulesquen 6–0, 6–1, extending LCU's advantage to 2–0.
 
From there, UT Tyler took control.
 
At No. 2 singles, No. 34 Dorofeev defeated No. 17 De Los Rios 6–1, 6–4 to cut the deficit in half. The Patriots evened the dual at 2–2 when Martin Despodov posted a 6–3, 6–1 win over Seccia at No. 6. Jordi Garcia Portell then gave UT Tyler its first lead of the afternoon with a 7–6, 6–1 victory over Rossi Principe at No. 5 singles.
 
The decisive fourth point came at No. 3, where No. 49 Wessel earned a straight-set win over No. 26 Ghedin, 6–3, 6–0, clinching the team victory for the Patriots. The final match to conclude was at No. 4 singles, where No. 18 Antwi outlasted Segura in three sets, 1–6, 7–6, 7–6, bringing the final score to 5–2.
 
Giese once again anchored the lineup, contributing both a doubles win and a dominant victory over a top-10 opponent in singles. Segura and De Los Rios helped secure the doubles point, marking LCU's third doubles-point win in as many matches at the championship.
 
Over the course of the tournament, Giese and Segura proved vital performers. Giese collected multiple ranked singles victories, including wins over top-10 competition, while Segura remained steady at No. 4 singles and contributed key doubles victories. Rossi Principe also delivered a clinching singles win in Saturday's consolation victory over No. 17 Indianapolis, securing the program's first Indoor Nationals match win.
 
LCU opened the championship with a narrow 4–3 quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Washburn before rebounding to defeat Indianapolis in the consolation round. The Chaparrals conclude their inaugural Indoor Nationals appearance with a sixth-place finish, gaining valuable experience against three nationally ranked opponents on the sport's premier indoor stage.
 
Tyler will remain on the Chaps mind this weekend, as LCU heads to Tyler, Texas this week and returns to action on the Tyler JC campus Friday facing Southern Arkansas for the first of three weekend matches.