TWU Advances to NAIA Semifinal Round; Reinhardt, Union Also Compete at Nationals

MOBILE, Ala. - The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) sent three teams to the 2024 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships, and the squads went a combined 4-3 on the week.

Union was the No. 13 seed, while Reinhardt was ninth, and Tennessee Wesleyan No. 2.

The five-day tournament was held at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.

Union dropped its opening match, falling to No. 20 Dillard (La.) 4-1. Victor Bourguignon scored Union's lone point with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles.

Reinhardt went 2-1 in the tournament, advancing to the quarterfinal round. In their first match, the Eagles downed No. 24 Ottawa (Kan.) 4-0. Reinhardt followed that with a 4-1 win over No. 8 William Carey (Miss.). Juan Vallejo won a marathon of a match at No. 4 singles, winning 7-6, 7-5. Reinhardt's run ended in the quarterfinal round as No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett won 4-0.

As the No. 2 seed, Tennessee Wesleyan received a first-round bye. It opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over No. 15 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). David Leon dropped only 1 game at No. 6 singles, winning 6-1, 6-0. In the quarterfinal round, Tennessee Wesleyan cruised with a 4-0 win over No. 10 William Woods (Mo.). The team's good fortune ran out in the semifinal round as No. 3 Keiser (Fla.) collected the 4-0 decision. Despite the 4-0 score, it was a tight match as the doubles point needed a go to a tiebreak at Doubles No. 1. TWU was also leading in the 3 unfinished singles matches.

This marks the third year in a row that Tennessee Wesleyan advanced to at least the semifinal round. The Bulldogs made it to the championship match in 2023.

Union finished the year 12-12 overall, while Reinhard and Tennessee Wesleyan ended the season 18-4 and 21-2, respectively.