LUBBOCK, Texas (April 9, 2026) – No.8 Lubbock Christian University delivered a dominant performance in Lone Star Conference play Thursday morning, sweeping St. Mary's 7-0 at the Penny Gullo Tennis Center to improve to 15-5 overall and a perfect 5-0 in conference action while extending its home success against the Rattlers to 3-0 all-time in Lubbock.
The Chaparrals set the tone early by securing the doubles point with a clean sweep across all three courts. The No. 6-ranked duo of
Mattia Ghedin and
Kelly Giese struck first with a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles, followed by
Andres De Los Rios and
Pablo Segura (No. 29) with a 6-3 victory at No. 2 to clinch the point.
Marco Seccia and
Andrea Rossi Principe completed the sweep with a 6-4 win at No. 3, giving LCU a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
LCU carried that momentum into singles, where
Pablo Segura (No. 16) was first off court with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles to extend the lead to 2-0. Shortly after, No. 3-ranked
Kelly Giese followed with a 6-2, 6-3 win at the top position, and
Mattia Ghedin added another point with a 6-1, 6-4 decision at No. 3, pushing LCU within one point of clinching the dual.
The clinching point came from
Andres De Los Rios (No. 26), who secured a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles as the fourth match off court, giving LCU a 4-0 advantage.
Jordan Georgiev then added to the margin with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 5, and
Marco Seccia capped the sweep with a three-set win at No. 6, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-5), in the final match to finish and complete the 7-0 shutout.
LCU's balanced lineup proved overwhelming, as the Chaparrals claimed all six singles matches in straight sets except for Seccia's deciding-set victory. Giese extended his winning streak to 15 consecutive matches, improving to 28-5 overall and 17-1 in dual play at No. 1 singles, while Ghedin notched his fifth straight win to move to 22-10 overall (14-4 in duals). Segura improved to 22-10 (14-4 in duals), and De Los Rios advanced to 24-11 on the season with the clinching victory. Seccia pushed his winning streak to five matches, while Georgiev recorded his third consecutive singles win.
In doubles, Ghedin and Giese improved to 14-5 together at the No. 1 position, while De Los Rios and Segura moved to 12-6 at No. 2 and Seccia with Rossi Principe improved to 11-3 at No. 3. The shutout marked LCU's fourth sweep of the season and second in Lone Star Conference play, as the Chaparrals have now defeated St. Mary's in four consecutive meetings, including back-to-back 7-0 decisions.
LCU will carry a five-match winning streak into its next contest Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M., where the Chaparrals are set to face New Mexico State following a schedule adjustment to their previously planned Lone Star Conference matchup.
