ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The No. 15 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's tennis team concluded its 2025 season with a 4-1 loss to No. 6 Azusa Pacific (APU) in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. on Tuesday.

Despite the loss, this UNG men's tennis team completed one of the best seasons in program history after going further in the postseason than any previous team in program history. 

The box score does not reflect just how close the Nighthawks came to upsetting the Cougars on Tuesday. 

APU burst out of the gate to open the match by winning a flurry of doubles points to take an early lead on the #1 and #2 doubles courts. 

At #3 doubles, sophomore Marcos Castellanos and freshman Franco Rebora held strong with an early lead in their match. 

Despite a 6-3 loss at #2 doubles, Castellanos and Rebora quickly secured a 6-4 victory of their own to tie the doubles matches. 

However, freshman Juan Cruz Blanco and senior Robin Eldin suffered a 6-3 loss to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) men's doubles No. 14 pairing of Elias Emilio Walter and Soeren Grandke. 

In singles play, ITA men's singles No. 24 Pedro Liborio set the tone with a 6-3 win in his first set as UNG began to mount a comeback. 

Castellanos continued his strong play from doubles with a 6-4 victory in his first set at #4 singles as well. 

Eldin was painstakingly close to clinching a huge first-set victory in #2 singles as he held a 6-5 lead in the opener. However, Grandke forced a tiebreaker which he won by a 7-3 score to steal the set. 

Castellanos would go on to dominate the second set 6-2 and secure the only point of the day for the Nighthawks. His victory marked his 13th singles win of the year to lead the team this season.

The victory at #4 singles provided a jolt of energy that UNG needed, but it would not be enough as the Cougars closed out the match with victories in #2, #3 and #5 singles to advance to the Elite Eight. 

While the season has come to a close for this outstanding group of young men, it is not marred by its end result. It is instead highlighted by the path those men took to get this far in the first place. 

The season started on a rocky edge as the Nighthawks lost a road match they were more than capable of winning. But the team bounced back with a thrilling 4-3 victory over its rival Young Harris by clinching the match in #6 singles. 10 days later they did it again, this time on the road against Auburn Montgomery. 

UNG would go on to host the 2nd Annual Scenic City College Tennis Spring Break Showcase and defeat No. 29 Catawba 4-2 in the process, a win that would provide much-needed confidence later in the season.

The Nighthawks then battled for hours against the No. 1 team in the nation West Florida, proving to themselves that they belong in the conversation with some of the best teams in the country. 

An April 4 come-from-behind road win against No. 24 Lander injected life into the veins of the members of this team as UNG rallied from a loss in doubles to a 4-3 victory over their rivals, marking the first ranked victory away from home since 2023.

In the PBC Tournament Semifinals, the Nighthawks made history yet again. They defeated rival No. 16 Columbus State for the first time in 19 years and 30 tries with one of the most resilient and impressive comeback efforts ever seen. 

Despite trailing 3-1 in the match with injuries and deficits weighing against them, UNG found a way to storm back and take down the Cougars to advance to the conference championship match for the first time in program history. 

The Nighthawks weren't done making history, however. 

In the Southeast Regional, UNG defeated two top-15 opponents in No. 11 Wingate and No. 8 Catawba (the team's highest-ranked win since 2021) to advance to the National Championship site for the first time ever.

This team showed an uncanny ability to never give up in a match. They took it personally if their opponent thought they were going to win. With a flurry of comebacks and thrilling victories by various means throughout the year, if there was anyone doubting a Nighthawks comeback at Sanlando Park Tuesday, they weren't wearing blue and white. 

While this year's trip to Altamonte Springs does not have a happy ending, it just might be the beginning of something bigger. 

It was UNG's first appearance on the big stage with a national title on the line, but it certainly won't be the last.