Troy University Athletics
‘Resilient’: Inside Troy Men’s Tennis’ Spring Season
5/28/2026 9:30:00 AM | Tennis (M)
TROY, Ala. - The 2026 season was one to remember for Troy men's tennis. The Trojans advanced to their first Sun Belt Championship match in 11 years and finished with a 24-5 dual-match record, the program's most wins in a season since 2015.
Just over a month after the season concluded at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, head coach Rolando Vargas reflected on the season and looked ahead to the future of the program.
Looking back on this season as a whole, what stands out to you about the 2025-26 Troy men's tennis team?
"It was a really good experience coaching this team. We were very young and had a lot of new faces, so at the beginning of the year I honestly didn't know what to expect. We knew we had talent, but in competition you still have to execute.
What stands out most to me is the fighting spirit and perseverance this team showed. We were in a lot of tough matches and found ways to come back and win. We played several 4-3 matches, including a close one against North Alabama where a freshman clinched it for us. We also beat a very good Kennesaw State team on the road that was ranked throughout the year.
Another thing that stood out was doubles. Early on, I didn't know exactly what we were going to get, so we tried different partnerships. It ended up becoming one of the best doubles seasons we've had. I think we only lost four doubles points all year, and even in some of those matches we still won overall. Most of the time, winning doubles set the tone for us.
More than anything, I loved the way the guys fought for each other and found ways to get it done when the pressure was highest."
You won two matches in Rome at the Sun Belt Tournament and advanced to the championship match for the first time in 11 years. Despite falling short against ODU, the team showed fight in that match as well. How proud were you of the team's week in Georgia?
"I was super proud. We had set hard goals at the beginning of the year, and when they started happening, it was really rewarding. One of those goals was earning a top-two seed in the conference tournament, and accomplishing that was huge. But once we got there, we knew we had to prove why we earned it.
Southern Miss gave us a scare earlier in the season in a long match at home, so we knew they were tough. To beat a team twice in our league is very difficult, and I thought we handled that challenge really well in the tournament. Winning the doubles point there was important too because we had lost it against them during the regular season.
Then against Georgia Southern in the semifinals, I thought we played our best match of the year. The 4-0 score doesn't fully show how competitive it was, but we played with confidence and took control early. Winning the doubles point and carrying momentum into singles was huge because at times during the year we struggled with our starts after doubles.
That week, we were locked in from the beginning. We played with purpose, got momentum early, and earned our way into the championship match."
What areas did you see the biggest improvement in from your team from the beginning of the season to the end?
"The biggest thing for me was the leadership we developed, especially from Yeray [Andres Pastor] and Luciano [Alcocer].
Luciano became a huge leader for us in doubles. No matter who we paired him with, he found ways to succeed, and we always felt comfortable with him out there. He also did a great job in singles.
Yeray, as our senior and a former all-conference player who had already played at the top of the lineup, really embraced the leadership role. He understood what the team needed from him, and in a lot of our biggest wins he was a major factor. Whether it was Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, or other key matches, he stepped up in important moments.
When he was controlling his court and competing confidently, it helped everyone around him relax and play better. That leadership carried over throughout the lineup.
With such a young team, having those two lead the way was massive for us."
The team seemed to prevail quite a bit in close moments this year. You mentioned North Alabama and Southern Miss. What was it about this team that made them thrive in those moments?
"I think a lot of it started early in the season with a tough loss to Samford. We had a 3-1 lead and were in a great position to win, but it came down to Stephan [Noale] in a very close match that we ended up losing.
At the time, it hurt, but looking back, that experience may have been the best thing that happened to us - especially for Stephan as a freshman. He took that loss personally because he cared so much about the team, and from that point on he grew tremendously in pressure situations.
Whenever matches came down to him after that, he was ready. He clinched against South Carolina State after coming back from down a break in the third set and saving match points. Then against North Alabama, on the road in tough conditions, he again lost the first set, saved match points, and found a way to win.
I think Stefan was one of the biggest reasons we were so successful this year. Not only did he win a lot of matches, but he won in the toughest moments. Even in the conference semifinals, he clinched again against a very strong opponent.
That early experience against Samford helped shape our mentality. From then on, the team believed we could compete and win from any position in the lineup."
There was a rotation at the No. 1 position early in the season before Ausias [Martin Melo] eventually took over that role while Luciano anchored court two. What did you see from those two competing against top players all season long?
"That was another interesting part of the season because we had a lot of depth and talent, but I didn't know right away who would settle into the No. 1 spot. Playing at the top of the lineup takes a lot of character. It's not just about talent - you're setting the tone for the whole team.
We rotated some guys early. Yeray and Luciano had experience, but at times we felt like moving them around could help them play more freely and give us better opportunities to win matches.
Then Ausias stepped into the role. Injuries and other situations gave him an opportunity, and instead of questioning himself, he embraced it. He wanted to prove he belonged there.
I remember he beat a very good opponent at AUM, and that gave him confidence. But the real turning point was Mercer. Their No. 1 player had already beaten both Yeray and Luciano earlier, and Ausias went out and won that match. I think that's when everyone realized he was ready for that role.
Once he established himself at No. 1, it also helped Luciano and Yeray relax and focus on their own courts. It all came together really well."
How much confidence does a season like this give you going into next year and for the program as a whole?
"It gives us a lot of confidence. In my eight years here, this has probably been our most successful season. We set a lot of goals, and we accomplished many of them.
More importantly, it showed that everyone bought into the culture and understood that success comes from the team first, not individuals. That's a huge part of what we're building here.
Now we know what it feels like to play in a conference final, and we want to get back there and finish the job next time. This season also brought positive attention nationally. Coaches around the country saw how consistent and competitive we were.
I take a lot of pride in the culture we've built. When I recruit players, I'm able to sell them on the identity and standards we already have in place, and that makes a huge difference.
We still want more. We want to keep improving, keep climbing, and put ourselves in even better positions moving forward. But this season definitely gave us confidence and momentum."
Describe the 2025-26 Troy men's tennis team in one word.
"Resilient."
