LUBBOCK, Texas (May 11, 2026) – For the fourth consecutive season, Lubbock Christian University will open NCAA postseason play, but this year's stage carries even greater stakes. The No. 12-ranked Chaparrals will host No. 25 Midwestern State Tuesday at noon at Penny Gullo Tennis Center in the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis South Central Regional, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis National Championships in Surprise, Arizona.
 
The regional marks another milestone in the rapid rise of LCU's reborn program. Now in its fourth season since its rebirth, the Chaparrals have qualified for the NCAA postseason every year and are seeking back-to-back trips to the national championship site after last season's historic semifinal run in Altamonte Springs, Florida. LCU enters Tuesday with a 21-5 overall record, riding an 11-match winning streak and coming off its second consecutive Lone Star Conference Championships title.
 
Hutton Jones, who earned Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Chaparrals to the program's first regular-season conference championship, has been part of LCU's transition into one of the nation's premier Division II programs. The Chaparrals are 11-3 this season against nationally ranked opponents and finished a perfect 8-0 in conference play, while climbing as high as No. 5 nationally earlier this spring.
 
Leading the charge is junior standout Kelly Giese, the reigning two-time Lone Star Conference Singles Player of the Year and currently the No. 4-ranked singles player in NCAA Division II. Giese enters postseason play with a program-record 34 singles victories and carries a 21-match winning streak into Saturday's showdown. The Manhattan Beach, California native owns a 23-1 dual-match record at the No. 1 position this season, with his lone dual defeat coming against NCAA Division I competition.
 
LCU's lineup depth has become its defining trait. Senior Mattia Ghedin, ranked No. 57 nationally, has posted a 27-11 singles record while partnering with Giese to form the nation's No. 8 doubles tandem. The duo has gone 17-8 together at No. 1 doubles and earned Lone Star Conference Doubles Team of the Year recognition. Meanwhile, No. 20-ranked Pablo Segura and No. 31-ranked Andres De Los Rios have provided consistent production throughout the middle of the lineup, combining for 57 singles victories this season.
 
Freshman Andrea Rossi Principe and sophomore Marco Seccia have also emerged as postseason difference-makers. Rossi Principe clinched LCU's semifinal comeback victory over Midwestern State at the Lone Star Conference Championships, while Seccia enters the NCAA Regional having won 10 of his last 11 singles matches.
 
Saturday's matchup features two programs that have become increasingly familiar with one another. LCU and Midwestern State will meet for the third time this season and eighth time overall since the Chaparrals restarted the program in 2023. After dropping the first three meetings in the series, LCU has won four consecutive matchups against the Mustangs, including a dramatic 4-3 semifinal victory at the Lone Star Conference Championships in Plano, Texas.
 
That semifinal encounter showcased the resilience that has defined the Chaparrals' season. LCU dropped the doubles point and later faced a 3-2 deficit before Giese rallied from match point down at No. 1 singles to force a decisive sixth-court finish. Rossi Principe eventually sealed the comeback with a three-set victory, sending the Chaparrals into the conference championship match.
 
Midwestern State arrives with plenty of firepower of its own. The Mustangs, ranked No. 25 nationally, feature the nation's No. 10 doubles pairing of Juan David Duque and Bruno Sanchez along with nationally ranked singles players Germano Setti (No. 18), Sanchez (No. 45) and Jose Marquez (No. 58).
 
The Chaparrals have steadily built postseason experience during the program's brief NCAA history. LCU is 3-3 all-time in NCAA postseason play, including last season's regional championship victory over UT Permian Basin that sent the Chaps to the NCAA Championships final site for the first time in program history. Prior to that breakthrough, LCU suffered regional losses at Cameron in 2023 and UT Tyler in 2024.
 
Now, with a conference championship already secured and national expectations growing, the Chaparrals, who are 4-0 at home with limited home matches this season, return home hoping to take the next step toward another deep postseason run.
 
Tuesday's regional match is free admission and will be streamed live nationally on YouTube through Cracked Racquets. Broadcast links are available on LCU Athletics.