Men's Tennis Enters ITA Top 25 Ahead of NCAA Tournament

KENOSHA - The Carthage men's tennis team has been ranked No. 25 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III National Rankings, the association announced Wednesday.

The Firebirds jumped seven spots following the team's 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Tennis Tournament championship win on Saturday, May 2 in Bloomington, Ill. The Firebirds earned back-to-back victories in Bloomington, defeating Augustana (Ill.) 4-1 on May 1 before clinching the title on Saturday with a 4-1 win over North Central (Ill.)

The Firebirds now look ahead to the NCAA Tournament as Carthage heads to Granville, Ohio to take on the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks on Friday, May 8. The winner will then face off against the host school, Denison University, on Saturday, May 9.

Carthage enters the weekend with a record of 22-3, which includes a 10-match winning streak. Leading the charge is senior Francisco Silveira, who was named the 2026 CCIW Men's Tennis Student-Athlete of the Year and First Team All-CCIW. Silveira holds a singles record of 20-4 and doubles record of 18-5 during the 2025-26 season.

The Firebirds will match up against an Illinois Tech team who enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 14-5 on the season. The Scarlet Hawks won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament after defeating Concordia Wisconsin 4-0 on May 1 and then battling to a 4-3 victory in the championship game over MSOE.

The two squads will face off on May 8 at the Denison Tennis Courts in Granville, Ohio. Action is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. EST. The victorious team will advance to play Denison on Saturday, May 9 at 11 a.m. EST. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.

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Players Mentioned

Francisco Silveira: 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Francisco Silveira
: 5' 8"; Senior