MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The second-ranked Barry Buccaneers powered their way to a 4-1 win over fourth-ranked Saint Leo in the championship match of the 2021 Sunshine State Conference men's tennis tournament at the Buccaneer Tennis Center on Sunday.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: No. 2 Barry 4, No. 4 Saint Leo 1
Records: Barry 7-0, Saint Leo

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

SUMMARY:

Singles

1. #1 Alessandro Giuliato (Barry) def. #21 Aurel Ciocanu (SLU) 6-0, 6-3
2. Alejandro Oretaga Palacios (Barry) vs. Alexander Parker (SLU) 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
3. Alejandro Ibañez Gallego (Barry) def. Christopher Traut (SLU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Arnau Rodriguez (Barry) def. Ghali Mensour (SLU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Ignasi Forcano (Barry) vs. Kayne Trustfull (SLU) 7-6 (7-3), 4-2, unfinished
6. Tim Buettner (Barry) def. Jesse Wikso (SLU) 6-2, 7-5

Doubles

1. #3 Alexander Parker/Christopher Traut (SLU) def. Ignasi Forcano/Martin Gutierrez (Barry) 7-5
2. Alessandro Giuliato/Tim Buettner (Barry) def. #15 Willem van den Akker/Aurel Ciocanu (SLU) 6-4
3. Leo Vega/Jesse Wikso (SLU) def. Alejandro Ibañez Gallego/Hugo Cazaban (Barry) 6-4

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Doubles was a taut affair, with neither team being able to pull away.
• Giuliato and Buettner pulled off a 6-4 upset of the 15th-ranked team from Saint Leo, van der Akker and Ciocanu, at number two.
• But at number three, Barry's tandem of Cazaban and Ibañez Gallego lost 6-4 to the Lions' Vega and Wikso.
• Forcano and Gutierrez, playing against the third-rated pair of Parker and Traut, were tied 5-5, but the Lions pulled out the last two games to win 7-5 and take the doubles point.
• In singles, the Bucs' lineup was just too strong as Barry won first sets at all six flights. 
• Rodriguez polished off Mensour 6-2, 6-4 at number four to even the match.
• Giuliato defended his #1 national ranking with a 6-0, 6-3 win over #21 Ciocanu at number one.
• Ibañez Gallego knocked off Traut 6-4, 6-1 to make it 3-1 Barry.
• It came down to courts two and six, both racing to be the one to clinch. In the end it was Buettner at number six who came away with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Wikso.
• The remaining singles matches went unfinished.

NOTES

• For the Buccaneers, it is their 16th SSC Tournament title, leaving them just two titles behind Rollins (18), who have not won since 2004. No other school has won more than four titles.
• It is the fifth time, since the conference started recognizing regular season championships in 2014, that the Bucs have swept both the regular season and tournament titles in the same year.

ON THE HORIZON

The Bucs earn an automatic bid the NCAA South Regional Tournament, held in Pensacola, Fla., at the University of West Florida. Official pairings and times will be released on May 4.