SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The top-ranked Barry Buccaneers went to the well one time too often and fell 5-4 to second-ranked Columbus State for the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis national championship. 

The Bucs, who on the season struggled somewhat in doubles but were bailed out by a powerful singles lineup, could not overcome another doubles deficit against the Cougars.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: #2 Columbus State 5, #1 Barry 4
Records: Barry (25-3), Columbus State (25-3)

DOUBLES:

• The Cougars top team, #3-ranked Alvaro Regalado and Zach Whaanga made short work of Fernando Tous and Filip Zupancic 8-3 at No. 1.
• Pierre Montrieul and Blake Bayldon evened the matach at No. 2 with a solid 8-6 win over KP Pannu and Matei Avram.
• But at No. 3, Jorge Vargas and Arnold Kokulewski defeated Carlos Gomez and Vivien Versier 9-7 to give the edge to the Cougars.

SINGLES:

• The Bucs again showed the strength of their singles lineup by winning the first set at five of the six matches. But five of the six matches went to third sets and there were four tie-breakers.
• Daniel Ventura, who lost his first set, recovered to tie the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 over Avram.
• Bayldon gutted out a straight set win 6-4, 7-6 (5) over Vargas at No. 5 to give the Bucs a 3-2 lead. 
• It was briefly held, however, CSU's Kokulewski returned the trick 7-6 (5), 6-4 over Flavio Matteoli at No. 6 to even the match again.
• Sixteenth-ranked Gomez split sets with #22 Whaanga at No. 2, but rallied for the three-seet victory, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
• The last two matches also came down to third sets. Regalado, ranked 67th, dropped the first set in a tie-breaker to #52 Versier, but came back to win 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-1.
• At No. 1, it was the same story. Second-ranked Pannu dropped a tie-breaker to Montrieul, but recovered to win 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1, clinching the title.

NOTEWORTHY:

• For the Bucs, it was their seventh runner-up finish, breaking the tie they had with Hampton for the most in D-II history. 
• The match was revenge for the Cougars who lost to the Bucs 5-3 back in March.
• In the last three matches at the national tournament, the Bucs dropped seven of nine doubles points, but went 12-3 in singles. 
• It was Barry's fourth national title loss to a team from Georgia. The Bucs fell to Armstrong in 2008 and 2009, Valdosta State in 2011 in addition to this season.
• It was the first loss for Barry in Arizona. The Buccaneers had won twice in two previous trips to Surprise.

ON THE HORIZON:

The Bucs end the season second in the nation for the seventh time in school history.

BOX SCORE