TOURNAMENT HOMEPAGE
ROME, Ga. (May 7, 2026) – The No. 4 seed Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team had its postseason run end following a 4-0 defeat to No. 1 seed Virginia Tech during the 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship semifinal round on Thursday afternoon at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
Following the defeat, Chattanooga concludes its season with a 12-13 overall record after securing its second-straight semifinal appearance at the event. Virginia Tech improves to 7-16 and advances to tomorrow's title match.
Match Recap
Virginia Tech's Ilyas Fahim and Patrik Jurina opened doubles play with a 6-1 win over
Julian Franzmann and
Jaxon Lamb at the No. 2 position to give the Hokies early momentum. UTC's
Martin Delnido and
Carter Ramthun earned a 7-5 win at No. 3 over Frank Thompson and Drew Fishback before VT's Blake Hilsen and Eyal Shumilov secured a 6-4 victory over
Cortland Grove and
Kristof Kincses on court No. 1 to clinch the team point.
In singles, Virginia Tech extended its lead after Hilsen defeated
TJ Ryerson at the No. 5 slot (6-0, 6-1) in the first match to finish. Thomas Brandao added Virginia Tech's third unanswered point to the board by overcoming
Jaxon Lamb (6-0, 6-1) on court No. 6. Shumilov clinched the 4-0 victory for VT with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Grove at the No. 3 pairing.
All other matches went unfinished. Full results are below.
Match Notables
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Chattanooga concludes the season with a 12-13 overall record following the defeat... top-seeded Virginia Tech improves to 7-16 overall after the win... advances to title match against No. 2 North Alabama.
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Chattanooga has reached the UTR Sports NIT Championship semifinal round in each of the past two seasons... both
UTC's only appearances in the event's history... postseason and tournament record now stands at 3-1 (.750) under head coach
Chuck Merzbacher.
Match Results
#1 Virginia Tech 4, #4 Chattanooga 0
Rome Tennis Center – Rome, Ga.
Doubles
1. Blake Hilsen/Eyal Shumilov (VT) def.
Cortland Grove/
Kristof Kincses (UTC) – 6-4
2. Ilyas Fahim/Patrik Jurina (VT) def.
Julian Franzmann/
Jaxon Lamb (UTC) – 6-1
3.
Martin Delnido/
Carter Ramthun (UTC) def. Frank Thompson/Drew Fishback (VT) – 7-5
Singles
1.
Julian Franzmann (UTC) vs. Ilyas Fahim (VT) – 5-7, 2-0 (unfinished)
2.
Martin Delnido (UTC) vs. Patrik Jurina (VT) – 7-6 (5), 1-0 (unfinished)
3. Eyal Shumilov (VT) def.
Cortland Grove (UTC) – 6-4, 6-2
4.
Kristof Kincses (UTC) vs. Drew Fishback (VT) – 6-7 (7), 1-2 (unfinished)
5. Blake Hilsen (VT) def.
TJ Ryerson (UTC) – 6-0, 6-1
6. Thomas Brandao (VT) def.
Jaxon Lamb (UTC) – 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles: 2, 3, 1; Singles: 5, 6, 3
Start Time: 3:30 PM
Duration: 2:15
Attendance: 41
About the 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship
The 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship will be held May 5-8 at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College (100 Match Point Drive SW) in Rome, Ga. This year's edition, the fourth annual, of the single-elimination tournament features five NCAA Division I programs with a quarterfinal, semifinal and championship round making up the bracket.
2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship
Dates: May 5-8, 2026
Site: Rome, Ga. (Rome Tennis Center at Berry College)
Field: (1) Virginia Tech, (2) North Alabama, (3) Longwood, (4) Chattanooga, (5) NC Central
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, May 6
M1: 2:30 p.m. (ET) –
#4 Chattanooga 4, NC Central 1
Semifinals – Thursday, May 7
M2: 11:30 a.m. (ET) – #2 North Alabama 4, #3 Longwood 2
M3: 2:30 p.m. (ET) – #1 Virginia Tech 4,
#4 Chattanooga 0
Championship – Friday, May 8
M4: 9 a.m. (ET) – #1 Virginia Tech vs. #2 North Alabama
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