BRADENTON, Fla. – In a phenomenal display worthy of the Sunshine State Conference Championships semifinal, the No. 6 Nova Southeastern tennis team (21-3) gutted out one of the best matches of the year to upset top-seeded, two-time defending national champion Barry (20-2) on Saturday at IMG Academy. After the Sharks took the early lead via the doubles point, it all came down to courts three and six, with junior
Daniela Obando coming through on a third-set match point to put the historic 4-2 victory in the books.
With the upset, the Sharks garner their 21st win, just one shy of the 2007 team's program record for victories – their sights on the record and the opportunity for a first-ever SSC crown in Sunday's conference final against No. 2 Lynn – just the Sharks' second in program history.
Doubles
- Eyes on the doubles point to get things started against the Buccaneers, junior Sarah Wardenburg and freshman Natalie Espinal set the wheels in motion with a 6-1 win over Verena Schmid and Jill Engelmann in the second flight.
- Barry rallied to tie doubles at 1-1, but the 18th-ranked pair of senior Ana Navas and Obando delivered the team doubles point with a 6-3 victory over Zuza Maciejewska and Eleonore Barrere to grant NSU the crucial 1-0 advantage.
Singles
- Avenging her doubles match loss, sophomore Chantal Nosievici kept the momentum for the Sharks in No. 5 singles, quickly dispatching Julie Razafindranaly to push NSU up 2-0 on a 6-2, 6-1 victory. With the win, Nosievici ties Ulia Talalenko and Tsippy Waterman (Both 2007) for the most individual singles wins in program history.
- The Buccaneers scrapped out tough wins in the fourth and first flights to tie the match at 2-2 as all remaining matches headed to a third set.
- In likely the most consequential result of the day, after being blanked by Engelmann in her opening second-flight set, rookie Espinal confirmed why she remains ranked 28th in the ITA, scrapping her way to 7-5 second-set victory and then knocking out a 6-2 winner to keep NSU up 3-2.
- With both the sixth and third flights setting up to be the deciding factor down the stretch, Obando finally broke a split match at No. 3 singles on the 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win that would send the Sharks to their first SSC final and their first win over Barry since 2009.
Straight From junior Daniela Obandon and Coach Doug Neagle
Up Next: The Sharks will square off with the No. 2 seed Lynn Fighting Knights on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. to determine the SSC Champion at IMG Academy.
