MOBILE, Ala. — Looking to repeat as national champions and win their third title overall, the Tigers ran into a buzz saw in Warner University, falling 5-3 in the finals of the NCCAA title match.

Campbellsville ends its season at 15-10 and has now reached the NCCAA National Championship match four times in program history. Warner improved to 15-4 after winning its first national title.

Results

For the second time in the tournament, the Tigers took a 2-1 advantage over Warner after doubles. CU was able to do so in pool play but also fell to the Royals, 5-3.

The pairs of Adrian Sabrojo/Victor Ahlbeck and Alejandro Soriano/Alex Spalding picked up wins in Nos. 2 and 3, while the Tigers top doubles team of Zach Baulch/Vladyslav Ladygin lost.

Sabrojo and Ahlbeck took control with an 8-3 victory over Rafael Da Luz and G. de Vauxclairs, while Soranio and Spalding fought hard down the stretch and pulled out a nail-bitter, 8-6. Ladygin and Baulch were very close to putting CU ahead 3-0 after doubles but fell in the tiebreak, 9-7.

In singles it was all Warner. The Royals, who are out of The Sun Conference, won all but one singles match but two of them went into third sets.

The lone win for CU came from No. 2 singles with Soriano defeating Da Luz, 6-1, 6-0. In No. 1 singles, Ladygin fell to Rafael Coutinho, 6-4, 6-3 and at No. 6 Spalding lost 6-1, 6-3 to Renan Gambim.

In the two matches that went into third sets, the Tigers were able to win the first but couldn't hold off in the final two. Ahlbeck dominated Frasncisco Perafan, 6-1, in set one but fell 6-0, 7-5. Johan Fuzellier was able to steal the first set from Vauxclairs, 5-7, but lost in consecutive sets, 6-2, 6-1.