MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The second-ranked Barry Buccaneers battled through a 7-2 win over the 11th-ranked Vulcans of California (Pa.) at the Buccaneer Tennis Center on Tuesday.
“I’m just glad we won,” Barry coach Avi Kigel said after the match. “Coming off a tough trip to the West Coast and a little beat up in our lineup, I was proud of the team for battling through for the win.”
The Bucs (11-0) grabbed a 2-1 lead out of doubles, but nearly had the sweep. At number three, Linda Fritschken and Caroline Wendling made short work of Anastassiya Zherdeva and Ramona Czakon 8-4. Vojka Lukic and Julie Stas posted a big upset of the Vulcans’ 12th-ranked team of Annabel Pieschl and Jade Pondicas 8-5 at number two.
At the top flight, the Bucs’ team of Mona Mansour and Cristina Valladares led 7-4, but the Vulcans’ duo of Martina Rubesova and Franziska Steinhardt, ranked fifth, battled back to force a tie-breaker and won it 7-2.
The Bucs took control of the singles early, despite missing three players, all ranked from the singles lineup. Lukic (ranked 33), Olivia Matuszak (#43) and Valladares (#48) all sat out with minor complaints.
The Bucs took first sets at the bottom four flights. Wendling, ranked 49, posted the first point for the Bucs, knocking off #31 Pondicas 6-1, 6-2 at number three to give the Bucs a 3-1 lead.
Cal’s Pieschl, ranked 30, pulled the match to within one at 3-2 with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Sarah Krohnen at number two.
It was all Barry from that point, though not without some drama. Stas knocked off Zherdeva 6-4, 6-2 at number four and Akemi Maehama clinched the team match with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Czakon at number six.
The last two matched split sets. Fritschken lost the first set 6-4 to tenth-ranked Rubesova at number one, but fought back to win the second set 6-4. With the team match already decided, Fritschken closed out the point with a 10-3 win in the super-tiebreaker and stay unbeaten in eight decisions.
Mansour went the opposite route, winning the first set 6-3 over Steinhardt at number five before dropping the second set 7-5. The Buccaneer re-grouped to at the super-tiebreaker 10-5 and keep her record unblemished this season.
The Bucs host the NAIA top-ranked Senators of Auburn-Montgomery on Thursday, Marc. 15 in the doubleheader with the men’s team at 2:00 pm.
Tennis Match Results
03/13/12 at Miami Shores, FL
(Buccaneer Tennis Center)
#2 Barry 7, #11 California (Pa.) 2
Singles competition
1. #47 Linda Fritschken (BUW) def. #10 Martina Rubesova (CAL) 4-6, 6-4, 10-3
2. #30 Annabel Pieschl (CAL) def. Sarah Krohnen (BUW) 6-1, 6-3
3. #49 Caroline Wendling (BUW) def. #31 Jade Pondicas (CAL) 6-1, 6-2
4. Julie Stas (BUW) def. Anastassiya Zherdeva (CAL) 6-4, 6-2
5. Mona Mansour (BUW) def. Franziska Steinhardt (CAL) 6-3, 5-7, 10-5
6. Akemi Maehama (BUW) def. Ramona Czakon (CAL) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #5 Martina Rubesova/Franziska Steinhardt (CAL) def. Mona Mansour/Cristina Valladares (BUW) 9-8 (7-2)
2. Vojka Lukic/Julie Stas (BUW) def. #12 Annabel Pieschl/Jade Pondicas (CAL) 8-5
3. Linda Fritschken/Caroline Wendling (BUW) def. Anastassiya Zherdeva/Ramona Czakon (CAL) 8-4
Match Notes:
California (Pa.) 8-2; National ranking #11
Barry 11-0; National ranking #2