ARLINGTON, Texas (May 2, 2026) – No. 12 Lubbock Christian captured its second consecutive Lone Star Conference Championships title Saturday afternoon, rallying past No. 6 UT Tyler for a 4-1 victory at the Arlington Tennis Center to improve to 21-5 overall and secure the program's second tournament crown in just its fourth season of NCAA Division II competition.
UT Tyler struck first by claiming the doubles point in order of finish, opening with a 6-3 win at No. 3 before LCU answered at No. 2, where the No. 26-ranked tandem of
Andres De Los Rios and
Pablo Segura evened the momentum with a decisive 6-1 victory. The point ultimately hinged on No. 1 doubles, where the No. 14-ranked pair of Carel Wessel and Daniil Felker secured a 6-3 win over the No. 8 duo of
Mattia Ghedin and
Kelly Giese to give UT Tyler a 1-0 lead.
LCU quickly flipped the match in singles play, responding with four straight victories in order of finish to clinch the championship. No. 4
Kelly Giese ignited the rally at No. 1 singles, overcoming No. 38 Artiom Dorofeev in a three-set battle, 6-4, 0-6, 6-3, to even the team score at 1-1.
Marco Seccia followed at No. 5 with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory, pushing the Chaparrals in front 2-1, before
Andrea Rossi Principe extended the lead to 3-1 with a comeback win at No. 6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. The championship-clinching point came at No. 3 singles, where No. 57
Mattia Ghedin edged No. 19 Malo Poulesquen in a tight straight-set contest, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), sealing the 4-1 triumph as remaining matches went unfinished.
The Chaparrals' resilience was on full display, rebounding from the early doubles deficit with poise and depth across the lineup. Giese, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, extended his winning streak to 21 consecutive matches while improving to 34-5 overall and 23-1 in dual play at the No. 1 position, continuing to build on his program-record single-season wins total. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by De Los Rios, Ghedin and Segura (Segura, who was last season's Tournament MVP, becomes a two-time All-Tournament Team selection alongside De Los Rios and Giese), highlighting LCU's dominance throughout the championship run, while
Marco Seccia added another pivotal singles victory to extend his personal winning streak to nine matches and improve to 16-4 overall. Rossi Principe's three-set comeback at No. 6 proved equally vital, improving him to 7-1 in dual play at the position, while Ghedin's clinching performance marked his return to form, moving him to 27-11 on the season.
LCU and UTT were meeting for a third time this season and LCU improved to 2-1 this season against the Patriots. The two wins are LCU's only wins in the all-time series, which UTT leads 5-2. LCU, riding an 11-match win streak, is also 11-3 this season against teams nationally ranked by the ITA.
With the victory, LCU improved to 5-2 all-time in Lone Star Conference Championships play and secured the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, marking the program's fourth consecutive NCAA postseason appearance. The Chaparrals will learn their official postseason placement and opponent during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com, where LCU is expected to serve as one of the South Central Region hosts.
