Box Score Box ScoreMIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University women's tennis team remained unbeaten in Sunshine State Conference play with a 7-2 win over rival Lynn Thursday at Buccaneer Tennis Center.
The No. 2 Buccaneers (14-1, 5-0 SSC) handed the No. 6 Fighting Knights (15-3, 4-3) their third loss – all of them in league play.
Eighth-ranked
Sonja Larsen and
Ana Pain beat 15
th-ranked Vale Confalonieri and Rosalie Willig, 8-2, at No. 1 doubles. Leading 4-1, with Larsen serving, Pain baited out her partner and Willig's back-and-forth volleys before stepping in front of a return to put away a winner at the net. Then she slammed down a point a couple serves later to put the Bucs ahead 5-1. Larsen hit a couple cross-court winners in service and returning games to send the Buccaneers to a 7-1 lead. Larsen served for the win.
Linda Fritschken and
Kimmy Twelker defeated Alina Jane and Carolina Cuevas, 8-3, at No. 2. Twelker and Fritschken cruised to a 5-0 lead. Then with the Fighting Knights serving, Fritschken banged away a ball at the net and hit a forehand down the line to end the next game for a 6-0 lead. Barry won the next game, but a couple unforced errors led to a Fighting Knights point. Lynn won the next two games to pull within 7-3. With the Bucs serving, Barry put the Fighting Knights away when Twelker hit a cross-court winner, Fritschen ripped off an ace and hit a winner, and Twelker stepped in front of a return at the net, slamming it home to win the game.
It was Fritschken's school-leading 86
th doubles victory, which is 10 more than the previous record holders, Greta Trotman and Bojana Miladinovic.
At No. 3,
Elisabeth Abanda and
Jasi Witherspoon rallied for a big comeback to beat Grace Mpassy and Martina Gledacheva, 9-8 (7-1). Abanda and Witherspoon trailed 5-2, but the Bucs stormed back to draw even. Abanda slammed home a winner to give Barry its first lead, 6-5. The Fighting Knights won the next two games to go up 7-6. Abanda put away a ball to knot it at 7-7. Then Abanda slammed down a point at the net, and a Fighting Knights error gave Barry an 8-7 lead. Lynn picked up the next game to send it to a tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Witherspoon served Barry to a 3-0 lead. Abanda ripped a backhand down the middle of the court for a 6-0 lead. After an unforced error, Abanda belted a backhand down the line for the win.
Larsen wasted little time beating Cuevas, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 2 singles for the Bucs' fourth point. Pain clinched the win with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Gledacheva at No. 4. Fritschken had little resistance in a long match, beating Jane, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 3 singles. Mpassy defeated Twelker, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 5 for the Fighting Knights first point.
Abanda dropped the first set to the 26
th-ranked Willig, but fought back to pull out a grueling battle, 4-6, 6-4, 12-10, at No. 1 singles. It was Abanda's first win at the top flight. Tied 4-4 in the second set, Abanda won the next game to take a 5-4 lead. In the 10
th game, she hit a winner down the line to send it to a super tiebreaker. In the super tiebreaker, Abanda got out to a 4-1 lead. Willig eventually battled back to square it at 9-9, overcoming four match points. But Abanda played cool under pressure, forcing Willig to hit some tough shots after long rallies for errors to win it.
Witherspoon battled back after dropping the first set to win the second, sending her No. 6 singles match with Kim Przeszlowski into a super tiebreaker before falling, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6.
The Bucs will host No. 4 Nova Southeastern at 3 p.m. Tuesday in a big SSC match.
