ROME, Ga. — The Longwood men's tennis team is set for its semifinal match at the 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship against second-seeded North Alabama on Thursday at 11:30 a.m., at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
The No. 3 seed Lancers (13-6) enter the fourth edition of the tournament having won seven of their last eight matches and have their most wins since going 13-9 overall in 2019. Longwood is 20-17 (.540) in dual matches in two seasons under Director of Tennis Charlotte Clarke, leading into the Lancers' first postseason appearance at NCAA Division I.
The season has featured dual-match winning streaks of four consecutive and nine-of-11 overall with milestone victories against in-state foes Richmond for a second straight season and at James Madison for the first time since 2008.
The Lancers are led by Big South Player of the Year and the league's individual singles champion, senior Timéo Puech, who has gone 22-6 in singles across all competitions this season, including a 10-3 mark at No. 1 this spring. He has won his last eight singles matches overall while also playing to a 16-14 mark at No. 1 doubles, primarily with partner Daniel Borisov. The pair became the first in Longwood history to earn a national ranking on Feb. 4, coming in at No. 61, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Overall, four different players earned a total of nine Big South year-end honors. Joining Puech, who earned first-team singles and doubles plaudits for a second consecutive season, were junior Borisov (first-team doubles and second-team singles), senior Alejandro Uribe (second-team singles and doubles) and sophomore Daniel Lopez (second-team doubles).
Uribe was the only men's player this season to earn singles victories in all three Big South duals. Both Borisov and Uribe claimed Big South Player of the Week honors during the season, as well. Uribe earned the match-clinching singles wins against the Spiders and Dukes in a three-day span.
The Longwood lineup is anchored by senior Rufus Plane and sophomore Petter Lindquist. Plane is 9-5 at No. 3 singles this season while Lindquist is 4-5 at No. 5, but 14-7 in singles play in 2025-26. Sophomore Marko Mrdak has won four doubles on the year, including a 3-2 mark at No. 2 with Plane.
Junior Ninad Raut (seven) and seniors Gary Huang (three) and Ryan Foster (two) have combined for 12 wins in singles action this season.
A win over North Alabama (14-9) of the Atlantic Sun Conference, which is in the postseason for a third consecutive season and second time in the UTR Sports NIT Championship, puts the Lancers in the final match of the event Friday at 9 a.m., against an opponent to be determined.
