MIAMI SHORES, Fla.-- The second-ranked Barry Buccaneers continued the regular season with their biggest win of the season over the top-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks on Thursday afternoon at the Buccaneer Tennis Center, handily defeating them 6-1 after a tense start in doubles.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: No. 2 Barry 6, No. 1 Nova Southeastern 0
Records: Barry (17-1, 8-0 SSC), NSU (16-2, 6-2 SSC)
Series: Barry lead the series 34-4.
SUMMARY:
Doubles
- #24 Ailen Crespo / Andrea Di Palma (BARRY) def. Kristyna Hranacova / Ita Habekovic (NSU) — 6-3
- #43 Viktoriia Dema / Maria Tatarnikova (BARRY) def. Isabella Ciancaglini / Noemie Dadoun (NSU) — 6-4
- Alina Michalitsch / Dinara Alloiarova (BARRY) def. Amina Sagadiyeva / Sofia Shing (NSU) — 6-4
Singles
- #6 Kristyna Hranacova (NSU) def. #5 Alina Michalitsch (BARRY) — 6-3, 6-1
- #10 Viktoriia Dema (BARRY) def. #22 Ita Habekovic (NSU) — 7-6(7), 6-0
- #25 Andrea Di Palma (BARRY) def. Sofia Shing (NSU) — 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
- #69 Dinara Alloiarova (BARRY) def. Isabella Ciancaglini (NSU) — 6-4, 6-4
- #18 Angela Leweurs (BARRY) def. Julia Moraes (NSU) — 6-4, 6-3
- Ailen Crespo (BARRY) def. Noemie Dadoun (NSU) — 6-4, 7-5
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Barry's 24th-ranked pair of Crespo and Di Palma jumped out early and held on to beat Hranacova and Habekovic 6-3 at to top doubles flight.
- At the bottom two flights, the matches were tight and one serve until Barry came up with late breaks to win both 6-4 and sweep the doubles point.
- In singles, Nova Southeastern struck first with a strong performance from #6 Hranacova, who defeated #5 Michalitsch 6-3, 6-1 on Court #1.
- Barry quickly regained momentum, however. On Court #4, #69 Alloiarova posted a consistent 6-4, 6-4 win over Ciancaglini to give the lead back to the Bucs.
- Tenth-ranked Dema delivered a clutch performance on Court #2, edging #22 Habekovic 7-6(7) in the first set and cruising through the second set 6-0 to put Barry up 3-1.
- No. 18 Angela Leweurs clinched the team match with a composed 6-4, 6-3 win on Court #5 against Julia Moraes.
- Ailen Crespo secured the fifth point on Court #6, grinding out a 6-4, 7-5 win over Noemie Dadoun.
- No. 25 Andrea Di Palma capped off the match on Court #3 with a comeback win over Sofia Shing, battling back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
NOTEWORTHY:
- The win improved the Bucs to 17-1 on the season and 8-0 in the SSC.
- It also avenged the Bucs' loss in the national title match from last year, which had snapped a 12-match win streak against the Sharks.
- It was just the second loss of the season for Habekovic and Moraes for the Sharks, while Alloiarova and Leweurs continue to be undefeated for the Bucs.
- The win was the Bucs' second of the season over a team that had been ranked #1 by the ITA and the fourth against a top-10 team on the season.
ON THE HORIZON
The Bucs remain at home on Tuesday, Apr. 15, hosting NAIA #1-ranked Keiser. It is the first time in program history to play #1 ranked teams in back-to-back matches.