ROME, Ga. – Coming off of the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Regional title in West Alabama history, the duo of Lucas Hammond and Marcel Hornung will look to carry that momentum into the ITA Cup looking to bring home a doubles national championship. The event will run from October 13-16 in Rome, Ga., and will feature live streaming of certain parts of the tournament as well.

Play opens this Thursday for the Tiger pair will enter as the third seed and start play at 1:30 p.m. (Central) against the doubles team from Northwest Missouri State. The same pair that Hammond and Hornung defeated to win the regional title out of West Florida are also in the bracket as the second seed.

With only 16 teams in the field, the tournament will start with the round of 16 and teams will have to win four matches to claim the national title.

Formerly known as the Small College Nationals, the ITA Cup has a history dating back to 1986. It is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels. In 2021, more than 8,000 players participated in 60 regional tournament to gain entry into the ITA Cup field.

"This is a great opportunity for Lucas and Marcel. They played together for a good portion of last spring earning a national rank and this summer earning a pro doubles rank. If we serve and return well, they can win a doubles national championship," head coach Jeff Beaman said.

Follow along with all of the action with the draw that can be found here

Also, live streaming for the event can be found here