MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University men’s tennis team will open the season Feb. 21 against future Sunshine State Conference member Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“I like to play Embry-Riddle early. It’s a good way for us to sort of see where we’re at,” Bucs 24-year men’s coach George Samuel said. “Embry-Riddle is a very good matchup for us. It lets us know kind of where we are, going into the season. I’m looking forward to Embry-Riddle coming to Division II. And the fact they’re coming into our conference is even more exciting for me. The good thing about it is it just strengthens our conference, and it also strengthens Division II.”
Embry-Riddle features the top-ranked NAIA player in the country in Deni Zmak, and the Eagles were the national runner-up last year. After Embry-Riddle, the schedule doesn’t lighten up for the Buccaneers, who will begin the season as the No. 3-ranked team in NCAA Division II following last year’s national semifinal appearance.
Barry meets No. 5 Armstrong Atlantic on Feb. 22 in Winter Park, Fla. The Bucs also play defending national champion and top-ranked West Florida on Feb. 27 in Valdosta, Georgia, as part of a three-day weekend against three Top-10 teams. Barry also plays No. 10 Valdosta State on Feb. 28 and No. 8 Lander on March 1 in Georgia.
It’s a gauntlet start to a season, to say the least.
“Absolutely,” Samuel said. “That’s healthy for the team. They would like to be challenged. They need to be challenged right away, and stay challenged throughout the year.
“I think what it’ll do is get us jumpstarted earlier than we are used to. It’s going to put a lot of emphasis on the early part of the season. Personally, I like to play teams early. I like to be challenged. I guess it’s safe to say we have a strong team, and I think we should be able to compete well against any of those teams.”
Barry will open the Sunshine State Conference season at home on March 7 against No. 14 Saint Leo. The Bucs follow that match up a day later against defending NAIA national champion Georgia Gwinnett as part of a three-match homestand. Barry also hosts No. 25 Northwood (Mich.) on March 12.
“No matter which way you start the season … I think the results are going to be there,” Samuel said. “The strength of the team is going to be there. I don’t think anybody in the country is 100 percent ready at the beginning of the season. If we’re all healthy, we’ve got a lot of depth on the team, and we can utilize that with these tough matches.”
After a neutral site match against No. 15 New York Tech in Lakeland, Fla., on March 20, the Bucs get into the heart of their SSC schedule a day later at No. 34 Florida Southern, followed up by a trip to No. 47 Florida Tech on March 22 to conclude another three-day weekend.
Barry will dive in with three straight conference matches on March 28, 29 and April 11 against respective opponents Eckerd, No. 13 Rollins and No. 7 Lynn – the first two at home. The return to the conference schedule at the tail end of the season is a bit of a twist from past seasons after a new league matrix was implemented this year.
“For me, it didn’t make any difference,” Samuel said. “Whether we played a rival close to the beginning of the season or the end doesn’t matter to me. You never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes it’s good to play somebody early, sometimes it’s better to play them late.”
Barry hosts No. 26 Flagler and No. 41 Palm Beach Atlantic to close the regular season April 12 and 17 at Buccaneer Tennis Center.
“I think the April stretch is good,” Samuel said. “They’re really not are rivals, so it gives us a chance to work on some things in practice and then maybe bring them out in those matches. At the same time, those teams are not teams to be taken lightly, and they need to be reckoned with.”
As always, the Bucs stockpiled the schedule to prepare for the postseason.
“My team met together, and we discussed what our goals were,” Samuel began. “Then we discussed them afterwards. There was a similarity across the board. Now it’s just a matter of going out and trying to achieve these one at a time. I’m excited about the year. I think we have a very good team. I think there’s excitement across the board.”