Barry Men's Tennis Rallies For Fourth National Championship

Barry Men's Tennis Rallies For Fourth National Championship

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Bucs defeat Columbus State 4-3 after trailing 3-0

By: Dennis Jezek | Barry University Sports information

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- The top-seeded Barry Buccaneers staged another comeback for the ages as they rallied from 3-0 down to win 4-3 over second-seeded Columbus State at the 2019 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championships on Friday at Sanlando Park.

The Cougars took the doubles point behind wins at No. 1 and No. 2, while Barry won at No. 3. In singles, CSU took quick wins at No. 4 and No. 6, before Barry stormed back to win the final four matches, two of them in third sets.

COMPLETE LISTING: SSC National Championships

The Buccaneers win their fourth national championship in men's tennis (2010, 2013, 2015, 2019), tying women's tennis for the most in the program. It is also the 21st overall championship for the athletic department and the second this academic year (Men's Soccer in the fall).

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #1 Barry 4, #2 Columbus State 3
Records: Barry 26-1, Columbus State 28-3 

DOUBLES:

  1. #1 Alvaro Regalado/Zach whaanga (CSU) def. #7 Pierre Montrieul/Blake Bayldon (Barry) 6-4
  2. KP Pannu/Tommaso Schold (CSU) def. Alejandro Ibañez Gallego/Filip Zupancic (Barry) 6-4 
  3. Carlos Gomez/Vivien Versier (Barry) def. Matei Avram/Arnold Kokulewski (CSU) 6-0

SINGLES:

  1. #7 Montrieul (Barry) vs. #1 Pannu (CSU); 6-4, 6-4
  2. #28 Ibañez Gallego (Barry) def. #34 Whaanga (CSU) 6-2, 6-3
  3. #29 Gomez (Barry) def. #66 Asdrubal (CSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
  4. #25 Regalado def. #33 Alejandro Ortega Palacios (Barry) 6-0, 6-0
  5. #75 Versier (Barry) def. #54 Kokulewski (CSU); 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
  6. Schold def. #46 Ventura (Barry); 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,6,2,1,5,3)

NOTEWORTHY:

  • It's the second time Barry has won at Sanlando Park, where they also won in 2010 over Valdosta State.
  • This comeback is rivaled only by Barry's 2010 championship over Valdosta State, when they trailed 4-1, and were down 4-1 and 4-0 in third sets at No. 3 and No. 5, before coming back to win the title. 
  • Barry led 4-3 at No. 2 doubles before the Cougars came back to take the point 6-4.
  • Gomez returned the favor, trailing 4-3 in the third set before rallying back for the 6-4 win that clinched the match.
  • The win at #3 for Gomez was his 21st of the season, best on the team, and 16th straight.
  • For Montrieul and Pannu, it marked the second year in a row that they played three times, with the final winner deciding the national championship. In 2017-18, Pannu won two of the three, including in the national final. This season, Pannu won in the fall in the ITA Small College Nationals, Montrieul won in the regular season, and now in the national finals.
  • The Bucs and Cougars played earlier this year in Orlando, with Barry winning 7-0. In that match, Barry swept the doubles.
  • Barry lost the doubles point for just the second time this season in 26 matches. They went on to win both matches in singles.
Courtesy of Barry University Sports Information