College Feature
Barry Breaks Through To Win First National Indoor Title
by Rhiannon Potkey, 23 February 2022
Share: | |
| | |
|
|
Barry University finally ended the Columbus State reign.
The No. 5 Buccaneers captured their first ITA Division II Men’s National Team Indoor championship with a 4-3 win over No. 1 Columbus State last Sunday at the UIndy Tennis Center in Indianapolis.
Arnau Rodriguez Secured the Clinching Win For Barry
© Barry Athletics
In the three-year history of the event, Columbus State had won the previous two titles, including a win over Barry in the 2019 final.
“Every day we played better and better and better and today we peaked,” said Barry head coach Thomas Hipp said. “It was really nice to see that the guys were playing so well and we were able to win it.”
Freshman Arnau Rodriguez secured the clinching victory for BU (4-1) with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Felix Steen at No. 6 singles.
The Bucs won the doubles point behind victories from the pairings of Igansi Forcano-Martin Gutierrez and Tim Buttner-Alessandro Giuliato.
The singles went back and forth between the teams with all matches finishing in straight sets.
BU’s Alejandro Palacios gave the Bucs a 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Javier Cueto Ramos at the No. 2 spot. Tommaso Schold secured the first point for CSU (6-1) with a win at No. 3
CSU pulled even when Alvaro Regalado beat Giuliato 6-2, 6-4 on the top court, and Christian Garay put CSU ahead for the first time with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Hugo Cazaban at No. 4.
But Forcano evened the match for BU by taking down Pietro Martinetti 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5 to set up the historic celebratory clinch by Rodriguez.
“We really wanted this tournament … we had to fight hard every single round since the beginning, playing hard each match and fighting every day,” Rodriguez said. “... I was so nervous at the end, but I was able to really, really keep going through the match and at the end win the championship.”
Singles
- #1 Alvaro Regalado (CSU) def. #25 Alessandro Giuliato (BU) 6-2, 6-4
- #9 Alejandro Palacios (BU) def. #8 Javier Cueto Ramos (CSU) 6-2, 6-2
- Tommaso Schold (CSU) def. #3 Alejandro Ibañez Gallego (BU) 6-3, 6-2
- Christian Garay (CSU) def. Hugo Cazaban (BU) 6-4, 6-2
- Ignasi Forcano (BU) def. #36 Pietro Martinetti (CSU) 6-4, 6-4
- Arnau Rodriguez (BU) def. Felix Steen (CSU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 2,3,1,4,5,6
Doubles
- Arnau Rodriguez/Alejandro Ibañez Gallego (BU) vs. Alvaro Regalado/Pietro Martinetti (CSU) 5-5, unfinished
- Ignasi Forcano/Martin Gutierrez (BU) def. Christian Garay/Tommaso Schold (CSU) 6-3
- Tim Büttner/Alessandro Giuliato (BU) def. Javier Cueto Ramos/Felix Steen (CSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,3,1
Leave a Comment
More College Coverage
9-May-2024
NCAA Unveils Division II Championship Brackets
The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Committee this week selected the 96 teams that will be participating in the 2024 NCAA Division II Championships. The Barry women and men are trying to extend their national title winning streaks.
7-May-2024
McInerney Retires After 40 Years at Arizona State
After four decades of leading the Arizona State women's program, Sheila McInerney announced her retirement on Tuesday. The legendary coach helped ASU reach 36 straight NCAA Tournaments and won nearly 600 matches.
6-May-2024
NCAA Unveils 2024 Division III Tournament Brackets
The 2024 NCAA Division III Team Championships brackets were revealed on Monday. The tournament begins Thursday and Friday at regional sites around the country. The final rounds of the championships will take place at Washington University in St. Louis.
About Rhiannon Potkey
Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two
decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many
sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories.
Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national
events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches.
Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You
can reach Rhiannon by email at
[email protected].