The North Carolina Central University (NCCU) men’s tennis team wrapped up a milestone season on Thursday, falling 4-3 to Chattanooga in a hard-fought UTR Sports NIT Championship semifinal at the Rome Tennis Center.
The Eagles started strong by claiming the doubles point. Antoni Pankowski and Leo Fortier-Gariepy secured a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles. Hugo Hidalgo Vega and Rodrigo Alves followed up with a 7-5 victory at the No. 1 spot to give NCCU the early edge.
Chattanooga evened the match with a win at No. 5 singles and followed it up with back-to-back victories at No. 2 and No. 6 singles to take a 3-1 lead.
Refusing to back down, the Eagles fought back. Alves came from behind in his No. 3 singles match, winning 6-3, 7-6 after dropping the first set. Hidalgo Vega also rallied after losing the opening set at No. 1, taking the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to tie the overall match at 3-3.
The semifinal came down to No. 4 singles. Naresh Bharathy pushed Chattanooga’s Cortland Grove to three sets but came up short in the final stretch. The Mocs claimed the deciding point to advance to the NIT Championship final.
Despite the loss, NCCU ends the 2025 season with a 17-7 record—the most wins in a single season during its Division I era. The program also celebrated individual success, with Hidalgo Vega earning a national singles ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
Off the court, the team excelled academically, finishing the year with a 3.85 cumulative GPA. Seniors Hugo Hidalgo Vega and Oliver Saarinen are set to graduate, closing out impressive collegiate careers.
Match Summary:
Men’s Semifinal: Chattanooga def. NCCU, 4-3
Doubles
- No. 1: Alves/Hidalgo Vega (NCCU) def. Castillo-Sanchez/Jupa (UTC), 7-5
- No. 2: Mudre/Lamb (UTC) def. Hakim/Saarinen (NCCU), 7-5
- No. 3: Fortier-Gariepy/Pankowski (NCCU) def. Carr/Walker (UTC), 6-3
NCCU wins the doubles point.
Singles
- No. 1: Hidalgo Vega (NCCU) def. Jupa (UTC), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
- No. 2: Castillo-Sanchez (UTC) def. Hakim (NCCU), 6-4, 6-4
- No. 3: Alves (NCCU) def. Mudre (UTC), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(0)
- No. 4: Grove (UTC) def. Bharathy (NCCU), 6-7(0), 6-3, 6-4
- No. 5: Kincses (UTC) def. Pankowski (NCCU), 7-5, 6-4
- No. 6: Lamb (UTC) def. Fortier-Gariepy (NCCU), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
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