Barry surges past California (Pa.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Barry eliminated California (Pa.) from the NCAA tournament with a 5-2 win on Thursday afternoon.

Barry, one of three remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II, won two of three doubles matches on Thursday. The Bucs opened the match with an 8-2 win at the second position by Olivia Matuszak and Julie Stas against senior Anastassiya Zherdevaand freshman Ramona Czakon. The tandem of Linda Fritschken and Caroline Wendling then dealt senior Annabel Pieschl and junior Jade Pondicas an 8-5 defeat at third doubles. The Vulcans avoided the doubles sweep when seniors Martina Rubesova and Franziska Steinhardt  posted their team-leading 30th win of the season, collecting an 8-6 victory at the first slot against Barry’s Mona Mansour and Cristina Valladares — the No. 15 doubles team in the country.

With the loss, the Vulcans finish the season with a 24-6 overall record. Califorinia has posted at least 20 wins in six-consecutive years and has made quarterfinal appearances in five of the last six seasons. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers improve to 26-0 and will face No. 3 Armstrong Atlantic in the semifinals tomorrow, Friday, May 18.

The Bucs clinched the match victory by winning three of the four completed singles matches, while the remaining two singles matches were in the decisive third sets. Mansour opened singles play with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Steinhardt at the fifth position. Pondicas then collected her fifth win of the year against a regionally-ranked opponent when she registered a 6-3, 6-2 victory at fourth singles against Matuszak. Stas, the No. 46 singles player in NCAA Division II, earned a straight-set victory against Zherdeva at the fourth slot after winning the first set via tiebreaker. The match ended at the second position when No. 15 Fritschken outlasted No. 41 Pieschl by a 6-2, 7-5 margin.