MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Head coach George Samuel sat outside the courts, surmising each of his players' matches.
It was a day to soak it all up, evaluate and process. It is still young in the season -- eons away from the finish line in Samuel's mind. In terms of the grind, he's right.
In some ways, Tuesday, his team had to grind to produce the 7-2 win over neighbor St. Thomas. Either way, it's another victory for the second-ranked Bucs. Now they can turn their attention towards Sunday's big match with their arch-rival.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Barry 7, St. Thomas 2
Records: Barry (3-0), St. Thomas 2-3
SUMMARY:
- Barry made quick work in doubles, despite experiencing a little resistance at the No. 2 spot, where Filip Zupancic and Flavio Matteoli beat Rasmus Lindstrom and Francisco Velasquez, 8-4.
- Vivien Versier and Blake Bayldon beat Kevin Cubela and Mauricio Fernandez, 8-2, at No. 1 doubles. Daniel Ventura and Martin Gutierrez rolled by Fabrice Bissainthe and Dimitri Bird, 8-1, at No. 3
- Bayldon picked up the first win over the Bobcats in singles, beating Bissainthe, 6-0, 6-1, at the No. 4 position to put the Buccaneers ahead, 4-0. Versier clinched the team's victory with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Michelle Coletta at No. 6.
- Matteoli was a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Fernandez at No. 5 singles. That put the Bucs up 6-Love.
- Then some of the resistance set in. Barry's Fernando Tous took an early lead on Lindstrom at No. 1 singles before the Bobcats top player battled back to tie the opening set at 4-4. Tous dropped the next game and defaulted. St. Thomas was on the board.
- After Gutierrez, whose game has picked up this season, beat Velasquez, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 2 singles for the Bucs final win.
- Zupancic fell in a match that nearly went to a third-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), at No. 3 singles.
NOTEWORTHY:
- Gutierrez was making his singles and doubles debut this season.
- Bayldon has won his five college matches.
- Matteoli and Versier picked up their team-leading third singles victories this season.
ON THE HORIZON:
Barry will host Lynn 11 a.m. Sunday.
BOX SCORE
BOX SCORE