BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – North Central and Carthage advanced to the championship match of the 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Tennis Championship following semifinal victories on Friday at Evergreen Racquet Club. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m.
 
#1 North Central def. #4 Wheaton, 4-0
The top-seeded Cardinals defeated No. 4 Wheaton, 4-0, to move into Saturday’s final. North Central earned the doubles point with a 6-2 win from Matt Crossland and Daniel Vilaroig Martinez at No. 3 doubles, followed by a 6-1 victory from Henry Ros and Andres Valverde at No. 1.
 
North Central added three straight-set wins in singles play to secure the match. Itxaso Hernandez Ruiz won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5, while Valverde followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 3. Vilaroig Martinez clinched the team result at No. 6 singles with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
 
#2 Carthage def. #3 Augustana, 4-1
Second-seeded Carthage advanced with a 4-1 win over No. 3 Augustana in Friday’s second semifinal. The Firebirds took the doubles point behind 6-2 wins from Finn Morris and Diego Silva at No. 1 and Francisco Silveria and Ethan Fodcheaux at No. 3.
 
Silva extended Carthage’s lead in singles with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2. Augustana earned its point at No. 3 singles, where Jorge Marcelo won 7-6, 6-4. Carthage responded with a three-set win from Linus Bangert at No. 6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1, before Cyriac Cayuela clinched the match at No. 4 singles with a 7-6, 6-2 victory.
 
Saturday’s final will mark another postseason meeting between North Central and Carthage. The programs have met in the CCIW championship match in three of the previous four tournaments, with North Central winning in 2022 and 2024 and Carthage winning in 2023. North Central enters Saturday as the two-time defending tournament champion and has won three of the last four CCIW titles. Carthage won eight consecutive CCIW titles from 2004 through 2011.