(RV) Warriors Can’t Break Through Against Middle Georgia at National Tournament

MOBILE, Ala. - No. 23 seeded Midland University flew down to the Mobile Tennis Center for the NAIA National Tennis Tournament matching up against the No. 10 seed Middle Georgia State University on Tuesday night. Battling the rainy southern Alabama weather, the Warriors gave their all in a fight against the Knights but dropped the match to their opponents (4-0).  

No. 1s Benjamin Starman and Joren Stevens continued their winning ways as a team defeating Samyak Bajarchary and Ichman Tidjine 6-3 in the first doubles set. Nunzio Thiel and Ryosei Masuda at No. 3s fell to Naufal Kamaruzzaman and Adria Pratdepadua 6-2 leaving the doubles point up for grabs. No. 2s Luca Struffi and Tycho Janssen battled in their final doubles pairing before dropping their hard-fought set to Ianfranco Germinara and Mariano Jalif 6-4.  

No. 5 Janssen left it all on the court but couldn't outmatch Tidjine losing 6-0, 6-2. No. 2 Starman kept the first set close but lost to Kamaruzzaman 6-4, 6-0, while No. 1 Masuda couldn't find his footing against Germinara as he lost 6-3, 6-0 clinching the final point.  

No. 3 Thiel and No. 6 Stevens fell in their first sets to Pratdepadua (6-2) and Jalif (6-4) but did not finish as they both led in their second sets 4-3. No. 4 Struffi fell to Bajarchary 6-2 but was leading 2-1 in the second set in his final match.  

Midland finishes their season 17-8 overall and 6-0 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) earning their fifth straight GPAC title and a trip to the NAIA National Tournament. The reigning GPAC Champions will look to build on their success from the 2023 campaign as they will return three starters next season. The team will look to improve their play from their 2023 recruiting class as they look to get that ever-elusive GPAC win in Mobile.