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MIAMI SHORES, Fla.— The Barry University men’s tennis team has been selected to host the 2009 South Region I Tennis Tournament, May 7-9, after a strong showing the SSC Tennis Tournament last week.
This is the 16th straight appearance for the Buccaneers in the tournament. The team enters the tournament ranked 3rd nationally, and #1 in the South Region. Barry will host Flagler, Alabama-Huntsville, West Florida, Morehouse, and Ouachita Baptist.
The Bucs, the top seed, receive a bye in the first round. They are 22-2 and coming off of a championship in the SSC Tournament where they beat Lynn 5-3. The Bucs, ranked number three in the Campbell/ITA national poll, will field a strong team led by Ales Svigelj who is ranked #5 nationally and entering the tournament with a 12-2 record (11-1 at #1). Emanuel Fraitzl (15-1, 12-1 at #2) and Andrew Sharnov (14-1, 5-0 at #2 and 8-1 at #3) have had solid seasons as well and are ranked #20 and #45 respectively.
The Ouachita Baptist Tigers, the second seed, also receive a first-round bye. The Tigers (20-1) are ranked seventh in the national poll, led by sophomore Jan Plewinski. He is 13-3 out the first flight and holds a #13 national ranking. Teammates Till Heilshorn and JC Diame are ranked 34th and 50th respectively, while Plewinski and Heilshorn combine for a #14 ranking in doubles.
The number three seed, the West Florida Argonauts, are 13-9 and ranked tenth nationally. The Argonauts are led by a pair of freshmen, Kevin Ducros and Andrey Pozhidaev. They are ranked 11th and 43rd respectively and combine to rank 18th in doubles. The Argonauts will open the tournament at 9:00 am on Thursday against the sixth-seeded Morehouse Maroon Tigers (13-7).
The Flagler Saints (9-7), ranked #35, are the fourth seed and will face fifth-seeded Alabama-Huntsville (9-5) at 1:00 pm on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
The winner of the Regional I Tennis Tournament will advance to the NCAA Division II Tennis Championship in Altamonte Springs, Fla. May 13-16. The championships consist of a 16-team single elimination tournament.
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