NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in program history, the Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team has qualified for the NAIA National Championship, earning an at-large selection. The NAIA announced Tuesday that the Wolf Pack will be competing as the No. 19 seed in the 2026 national tournament, which runs from May 12-16 at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.
No. 19 seed Loyola will be matched up with No. 14-seeded Grace College (Ind.) Lancers in the first round of the tournament. Grace qualified as the winner of the Crossroads League, which the Lancers have won in each of the last four seasons. The match at the Mobile Tennis Center is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, at 9 a.m.
The winner of Grace and Loyola will move on to the second round to face No. 3 seed Keiser on May 13.
The Wolf Pack put together a 7-5 overall record this season, with a 3-2 mark in Southern States Athletic Conference play. The team also reached the final round of the SSAC Championship for the first time.
Alfredo Gallegos leads the Pack in overall victories this season, posting a 7-4 record in singles and 8-4 in doubles alongside Sam Izrael. Gallegos and Izrael are also the 38th-ranked doubles team in the NAIA.
Samuel Marin is tied for the team lead in singles victories, also with a 7-4 record, and he and Luca Abati have gone 5-4 in doubles. Izrael, Hippolyte de Preville, and Jett Nguyen all have 6-4 singles records, while Abati is 5-5 as a freshman.
Loyola recently picked up four All-Conference honors, as Izrael was named First-Team All-SSAC, and Gallegos, Marin, and de Preville all were Second Team. It was the most All-Conference awards in program history.
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