MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The second-ranked Barry Buccaneers punched their ticket to the finals in Altamonte Springs, Fla., with a 5-3 win over the eighth-ranked West Florida Argonauts in the finals of the NCAA Division II South Region-I Women’s Tennis Tournament at the Buccaneer Tennis Center on Saturday.
Barry’s Angie Werschel, ranked 12th, closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-3 win over #13 Paulina Ojeda at number two singles.
Both teams used different doubles combinations than their previous match, a 7-2 win for the Bucs on Mar. 10, but the one constant was the sixth-ranked pair at number one for Barry, Barbi Pocza and Yulia Kashelkina. The Bucs (21-3), who won in a tie-breaker in March, claimed an 8-3 win over Ojeda and Luiza Sonnervig when the Argonauts’ number one team was broken up by an injury to Caitlyn Baines.
At number three, Barry’s Berit Peterson and Mia Fiocca won 8-6 over Barbara Oliveira and Mariana Sonnervig, who had won their match in March.
At number two, UWF (10-8) picked up their only doubles point as Taylor Brewster and Jacqueline March nipped Werschel and Julie Stas 8-6.
West Florida came out strong in singles. Brewster posted a convincing 6-3, 6-2 over #40 Kashelkina at number three to even the match and Mariana Sonnervig gave the Agros a 3-2 lead with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Fiocca at number five.
Caroline Wendling evened the match for the Bucs by beating Luiza Sonnervig 6-2, 6-0 at number four and Peterson put Barry one point away with a 6-0, 7-5 win over March at number six.
In the unfinished match, Pocza lost a tiebreaker in set one, but responded with a 6-0 win in set two over Oliviera and ended tied 2-2 in the third set when Werschel closed out Ojeda.
The Bucs advance to the finals at Sanlando Park and will face the winner of the Nebraska-Kearney/Augustana (S.D.) match from the Central Region-II tournament.
Tennis Match Results
West Florida vs Barry
05/08/10 at Miami Shores, Fla.
(Buccaneer Tennis Center)
#2 Barry 5, #8 West Florida 3
Singles competition
1. #5 Barbi Pocza (BUW) vs. #25 Barbara Oliveira (UWF) 6-7 (2-7), 6-0, 2-2, unfinished
2. #12 Angie Werschel (BUW) def. #13 Paulina Ojeda (UWF) 6-4, 6-3
3. Taylor Brewster (UWF) def. #40 Yulia Kashelkina (BUW) 6-3, 6-2
4. Caroline Wendling (BUW) def. Luiza Sonnervig (UWF) 6-2, 6-0
5. Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) def. Mia Fiocca (BUW) 6-3, 6-2
6. Berit Peterson (BUW) def. Jacqueline March (UWF) 6-0, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #6 Barbi Pocza/Yulia Kashelkina (BUW) def. Paulina Ojeda/Luiza Sonnervig (UWF) 8-3
2. Taylor Brewster/Jacqueline March (UWF) def. Angie Werschel/Julie Stas (BUW) 8-6
3. Berit Peterson/Mia Fiocca (BUW) def. Barbara Oliveira/Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) 8-6
Match Notes:
West Florida 10-8; National ranking #8
Barry 21-3; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (,3,5,4,6,2)
Barry advances to the NCAA Nationals in Altamonte Springs, Fla. May 12-15