Men's Tennis | 2/8/2019 12:42:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Both of the Buccaneer tennis teams will begin their respective seasons this weekend on Saturday, Feb. 8 when they face off against Flagler College at the Buccaneer Tennis Complex in Miami Shores, Fla. Flagler is an NCAA DII program from the South Region.
MEN'S
The men will go up against stiff competition with Flagler College checking in at No. 6 in the latest ITA rankings. The Saints hold a 2-0 record after capturing victories over Florida Southern (5-2) and Arkansas Fort Smith (7-0). Flagler finished last season 19-8 and advanced all the way to the second round of the NCAA regional tournament.
Barry steps into 2019 fresh off a dominant season last year which saw the Bucs rise all the way to the National championship match. The Bucs finished as the national runner-up and return much of their core from last year. Barry starts the season ranked second in the nation in the latest ITA rankings. In addition, Barry is heavily represented in the ITA Singles ranking with Pierre Montrieul (2), Carlos Gomez (6), Daniel Ventura (29), and Vivien Versier (44) all making appearances within the Top-50. The Bucs had an excellent fall season highlighted by Montrieul's championship-winning run through the ITA regional tournament.
WOMEN'S
The Saint's women's team head into the weekend with a 1-1 record after toppling Arkansas Fort Smith before falling decisively to No. 8-ranked Nova Southeastern (1-6). Flager has historically had a superb women's team including back-to-back 20 win seasons in '16' and '17 but took a step back last year with a sub .500 record.
Barry will look to continue their historic run this weekend, entering the match 59-0 over the last two seasons. Mirroring the men, the women are also represented heavily in the ITA singles ranking which place Carolin Schmidt (12), Verena Schmid (17), Julie Razafindranaly (21), and Eleanore Barrere (26) all within the top 30. In doubles, Barry enters the year with a fearsome one-two punch in with Schmid and Zuza Maciejewska, a duo ranked that's ranked number one in the national ITA rankings. The Schmid/Maciejewska duo dominated in the fall on their way to being crowned the champions of the ITA Oracle Cup.
