LAS CRUCES, N.M. (April 11, 2026) – No. 8 Lubbock Christian University overcame an early deficit and rallied in singles play to claim a 4-3 nonconference victory over New Mexico State Saturday at the NM State Tennis Center, improving to 16-5 on the season and earning its first regular-season win over a NCAA Division I program in program history.
 
New Mexico State (7-15) seized early control of the dual by sweeping the doubles point, taking decisions at No. 2 and No. 3 before completing the sweep at No. 1 to claim a 1-0 lead.
 
LCU quickly answered in singles, as No. 16-ranked Pablo Segura was the first match off court, but fell 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 to extend the Aggies' lead to 2-0.
 
The Chaparrals responded with momentum-shifting wins in the next three completed matches. No. 3-ranked Kelly Giese put LCU on the board with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles, followed by Mattia Ghedin's 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 3 to tie the dual at 2-2. Marco Seccia then gave LCU its first lead of the day, battling to a three-set victory at No. 6 (6-4, 1-6, 6-4) as the fourth match to finish, putting the Chaparrals ahead 3-2.
 
New Mexico State evened the match at 3-3 with a straight-set win at No. 5 singles, setting up a decisive final match at No. 4. Andres De Los Rios (No. 26) delivered the clinching performance, rallying from a second-set setback to secure a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 victory to seal the 4-3 result for LCU.
 
LCU's ability to respond after dropping the doubles point proved pivotal, with four singles victories highlighted by strong performances at the top and bottom of the lineup. Giese extended his winning streak to 16 matches, improving to 29-5 overall and 18-1 in dual play at No. 1 singles, while Ghedin pushed his streak to six consecutive wins (23-10 overall, 15-4 in duals). Seccia added his sixth straight singles victory (14-4 overall, 10-2 in duals), and De Los Rios improved to 25-11 on the season with the clinching win.
 
The victory marked LCU's first countable regular-season win over an NCAA Division I opponent in program history, as the Chaparrals improved to 1-2 this season in such matches. LCU will return to Lone Star Conference play Thursday, traveling to Alpine, Texas for a dual against Sul Ross State scheduled for an 11 a.m. start.