MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University will host the NCAA South Region tennis tournaments at Buccaneer Tennis Center on Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3.
The tournaments will start on the men's side at 9 a.m. Saturday as the fourth-seed Saint Leo Lions (15-5) face off against the fifth seed Valdosta State Blazers (15-7). Both the Lions and Blazers received at-large bids to the tournament. The Lions are making jut their fourth appearance in the touranment, while Valdosta State has now been selected 21 times, including national titles in 2006 and 2011. The Lions are currently ranked fifth in the ITA National Poll, while Valdosta State in ninth. Alex Theiler (#13) and Egor Panyunskin (#26) lead the Lions. Theiler and Bruno Sisti are the seventh-ranked doubles tandem. For the Blazers, they have no ranked singles players, but Niklas Herbring and Edward Nguyen are ranked eighth in doubles, while Gereon Heitmann and Ramon Weil comprise the 16th-ranked team.
The top-seeded Buccaneers (21-0), the automatic qualifiers from the Sunshine State Conference, are making their 21st straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Barry has won the past two regional titles and 11 overall, and captured national titles in 2010 and 2013. Barry sophomore Ahmed Triki is ranked No. 3 in the country in singles. Bucs senior Fabian Groetsch is No. 4. Together, they are ranked No. 2 in the nation in doubles. Triki is 14-0 in singles, which includes a 7-0 mark at the No. 1 position. Groetsch is 9-5 in singles, including a 5-1 record at the No. 2 spot. As a doubles team, they are 18-1 at the No. 1 position.
On the women's side, the regional begins with the semifinal match at noon Saturday, as third-seeded Saint Leo (18-5) takes on sixth seed Stillman (24-1). The Lions received an at-large bid after finishing second at the SSC Tournament. The Tigers were the automatic qualifier from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It is Saint Leo's fifth trip to the tournament, while Stillman has been three times.
The Lions, ranked sixth in the latest ITA rankings, are led by Isabella Robbiani, the 17th-ranked singles player. Robbiani and Maria Benkirane combine to form the 13th-ranked doubles team. Stillman is not ranked, and has no ranked players.
The No. 2 seed Buccaneers (20-1) will be making their 24th appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including a string of 22 in a row. Barry is the defending NCAA champions, and also won it all in 2011. Barry has won five straight regional titles. The Bucs are currently ranked second in the ITA rankings, and have five ranked singles players. Junior Emma Onila is ranked third with a 9-0 record. Freshman Sonja Larsen is fourth with a 16-2 mark. Senior Elisabeth Abanda is 22nd with a 14-2 record. Senior Linda Fritschken clocks in at 29th at 16-2. Ana Pain is ranked 45th with a 16-1 mark.
Larsen and Pain are ranked third in the country in doubles with a perfect 21-0 record. Fritschken and Onila, the two-time defending NCAA Division II and ITA Super Bowl champs in the fall, are fourth with a 13-1 record.
The championship matches will be on Sunday with the men at 9 a.m. and the women at noon. The winners advance to the national finals in Surprise, Ariz., May 13-16.
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