MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Basketball player Magne Fivelstad is one of Barry men's tennis team's biggest supporters. Especially considering he lives with three tennis players. Sometimes, though, he feels the need to offer them a little pep talk.
"Come on Fabu, you need to focus," Fivelstad told Barry's Fabian Groetsch, who was given the honor of playing No. 1 singles Tuesday in the No. 4 Buccaneers' 9-0 win over NCAA Division I Siena College.
"Don't let the ball get by you."
After a slow start, Groetsch, affectionately known as "Fabu," was lights out in the second set of a 7-6 (4), 6-0 win over Ryan Schmitz. Credit the assist to Fivelstad.
Actually, after coming off a thrilling 5-4 win over No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic Saturday, the Bucs claim their drive to succeed is even greater.
"We are working even harder," Bucs sophomore Kevin Sielmann said after beating Eric Sumanaru, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 5 singles. "The way that we see it is we want to win the last match of the season."
Barry is off to a school-record 16 straight wins to open a season. The Bucs figure to be ranked No. 1 in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll or the one to be released in late April. But more than rankings or school records, this Buccaneer team is driven to be the best.
Tuesday, they were on top of their game again in sweeping the Saints (2-5) even after the high of beating the top-ranked Pirates to end their 42-match win streak subsided.
"You have to keep your energy up, and keep yourself pumped and want to win," said Leo Vivas, who beat Peter Collins, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 3 singles. "You can't let your energy go down because the match is not that strong."
"You have to push yourself more," Sielmann said.
Wednesday, the doubles pushed the Bucs to a 3-0 start after Max Wimmer and Groetsch beat Schmitz and Sumanaru, 8-0, at No. 1. Vivas and Renato Lombardi beat Collins and Alex Burbine, 8-1, at No. 2. Sielmann and Alejandro Andino beat Dylan Roberts and Matt Funiciello, 8-3, at No. 3.
Lombardi beat Burbine, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 4. Andino defeated George Parkhurst, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 6. Wimmer beat Roberts, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 2.
Vivas, who improved to 9-1 in singles play and 13-0 in doubles this year, played in attack-mode to pick up another victory.
"I used the wind the right way," he said. "I was going for my shots. I was serving well, and I was pumped from the doubles so my energy was high. It feels great to contribute to the team. It's great to contribute no matter what team we play. A win is a win."
Sielmann bumped his singles record to 6-2 and improved to 3-1 in doubles.
"I was trying to push the other guy back so he'd leave me short balls so I could pound away," said Sielmann, whose power game defines his mojo on the court. "I used my serve in an effective way to win the match."
Saturday, the focus shifts to Sunshine State Conference rival and No. 3-ranked Lynn for the final regular season league match at 11 a.m. in Boca Raton.
"I feel we are ready," Vivas said. "Beating Armstrong gave us so much motivation to work even harder."
