LAKELAND, Fla. (April 22, 2012) -
After waiting through yet another rain delay all night, it took
just a few minutes Sunday for sixth-ranked Rollins to have its fate
sealed in a 5-3 loss to 18th-ranked Saint Leo.
The defeat to the Lions was the Tars' first in program history
and gives them fourth place in the Florida Blue Sunshine State
Conference Tennis Championship.
Rollins (15-8) and the rest of the field battled rain and
thunderstorms the entire tournament, which was hosted by Barry at
the Beerman Tennis Complex in Lakeland.
The match started early Saturday afternoon with Rollins taking a
2-1 lead after doubles. The Tars 10th-ranked tandem of
Lucas Jovita and Jason Alabaster scored an 8-4 upset over
eight-ranked Matt Nicholson-Lewis and Victor Lozier in the top
doubles flight to get rolling.
Bernardo Barroso and Constantin Sturdza beat Gonzalez-Tarrio and
Antonie Raffaelli 8-4 in the No. 2 match with Jeff Morris and Ari
Davis falling 8-2 to Aloua Adjenak and Jake Fleischer at No. 3.
Alabaster gave the Tars a 3-1 lead early in singles with a 6-1,
6-3 win past Fleischer in the No. 5 match. Saint Leo then came
charging back to tie the match 3-3 with two quick victories.
Barroso lost to Raffaelli 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 6 match while
43rd-ranked Malte Christesen lost to
28th-ranked Lozier 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.
In a shocker, sixth-ranked Morris was upset by
33rd-ranked Nicholson-Lewis 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 2 match
to give the Lions their fourth point.
Weather then halted the match with second-ranked Jovita leading
Adjenak in the third set of the No. 1 match and Davis behind
Gonzalez-Tarrio late in the second set of the fourth.
Back at it Sunday morning, Davis couldn't break and fell 6-4,
7-5 as the Lions sealed up the win.
Rollins will next await its place in the NCAA Division II
National Tournament. The selection show is slated to air at 8 p.m.
on Tuesday, April 24 on NCAA.com.
#TARS#
Tennis Match Results
Saint Leo vs Rollins
4/22/12 at Lakeland, Fla.
(Beerman Tennis Center)
#18 Saint Leo 5, #6 Rollins 3
Singles competition
1. #2 Lucas Jovita (RC) vs. #42 Aloua Adjenak (SLM) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3,
4-1, unfinished
2. #33 Matt Nicholson-Lewis (SLM) def. #6 Jeff Morris (RC) 6-3,
6-1
3. #28 Victor Lozier (SLM) def. #43 Malte Christesen (RC) 6-4,
6-4
4. Gonzalez-Tarrio (SLM) def. Ari Davis (RC) 6-4, 7-5
5. Jason Alabaster (RC) def. Jake Fleischer (SLM) 6-1, 6-3
6. Antonine Raffaelli (SLM) def. Bernardo Barroso (RC) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #10 Lucas Jovita/Jason Alabaster (RC) def. #8 Matt
Nicholson-Lewis/Victor Lozier (SLM) 8-4
2. Bernardo Barroso/Constantin Sturdza (RC) def.
Gonzalez-Tarrio/Antonine Raffaelli (SLM) 8-4
3. Aloua Adjenak/Jake Fleischer (SLM) def. Jeff Morris/Ari Davis
(RC) 8-2
Match Notes:
Saint Leo 16-7; National ranking #18; Regional ranking #6
Rollins 15-8; National ranking #6; Regional ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,6,3,2,4)
Florida Blue SSC Championships
Third place match
Continued from 4-21-12
