WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--  The top-ranked Barry Buccaneers battled down to the wire with their rivals Nova Southeastern before coming away with their 16th Sunshine State Conference Women's Tennis Tournament Championship at the Mitch Gornto Tennis Center at Palm Beach Atlantic's Rinker Athletic Campus on Sunday. The Bucs came away with a 4-3 win over the Sharks, winning two key tie-breakers to seal their 16th tournament title.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: No. 1 Barry 4, No. 3 Nova Southeastern 3
Records: Barry (22-1), NSU (20-4)
Series: Barry leads the series 35-4

SUMMARY:

Doubles

1. Isabella Ciancaglini / Kristyna Hranacova (NSU) def. #9 Ailen Crespo / Andrea Di Palma (Barry) — 6-4
2. #45 Viktoriia Dema / Maria Tatarnikova (Barry) def. Noemie Dadoun / Sofia Shing (NSU) — 7-6(4)
3. Dinara Alloiarova / Alina Michalitsch (Barry) def. Ita Habekovic / Julia Moraes (NSU) — 6-2

Singles

1. #4 Kristyna Hranacova (NSU) def. #5 Alina Michalitsch (Barry) — 6-1, 7-6(4)
2. #29 Ita Habekovic (NSU) def. #10 Viktoriia Dema (Barry) — 7-5, 6-2
3. #19 Andrea Di Palma (Barry) def. Sofia Shing (NSU) — 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(4)
4. Isabella Ciancaglini (NSU) def. #38 Dinara Alloiarova (Barry) — 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
5. #32 Angela Leweurs (Barry) def. Noemie Dadoun (NSU) — 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
6. Ailen Crespo (Barry) def. Julia Moraes (NSU) — 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Dinara Alloiarova and Alina Michalitsch got the Bucs started off right with a 6-2 win on Court #3 doubles over ta Habekovic and Julia Moraes.
• Isabella Ciancaglini and Kristyna Hranacova got the Sharks on the board with a 6-4 upset of ninth-ranked Ailen Crespo and Andrea De Palma. 
• Viktoriia Dema and Maria Tatarnikova edged out a 7-6(5) victory on Court #2 over Noemie Dadoun and Sofia Shing to claim the doubles point.
• Nova Southeastern evened the match early in singles as #29 Habekovic defeated #10 Dema 7-5, 6-2 on Court #2.
• The Sharks added another point when #4 Hranacova outlasted #5 Michalitsch 6-1, 7-6(4) on Court #1.
• On Court #4, Ciancaglini grabbed a third point for NSU, taking a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win over #38 Alloiarova, leaving NSU just one point away from the title.
• However, they would not get it. All four of the final matches came down to third sets, with Barry winning three of the four.
• Barry began its comeback on Court #5 where #32 Angela Leweurs delivered a clutch 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory over  Dadoun.
• Crespo tied the match at 3-3 after rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win against Moraes on Court #6.
• With all eyes on Court #3, Di Palma ground out a clutch 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(4) win over Shing to give the Bucs the championship.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Barry extended their SSC record with their 16th tournament championship and have won five in a row.
• The win earns the Bucs the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with a chance to reclaim their title.
• The Bucs have now been to 30 NCAA Tournaments, most in the division. They have eight championships, and seven runner-up seasons, both of which are tied for the most in history.
• Since 2019, when the scoring format changed to seven points (one point for doubles, one point for each of six singles), Barry is 119-2 when winning the doubles point.
• Director of tennis Avi Kigel is behind all eight NCAA championships, and 13 of the 16 SSC titles.

ON THE HORIZON

Official NCAA bids and seeds will be announced on May 5. Joining the Bucs as automatic qualifiers are Mississippi College from the Gulf South Conference and Tuskegee from the Southern Intecollegiate Athletic Conference.