In a match that felt eerily similar to the Armstrong men's tennis match in the 2013 finals, the No. 2-ranked Pirates were staring at a 3-0 deficit after doubles. The last time Armstrong had been swept in doubles was 2004 - more than a decade.
And even dropping the first set in four of six singles matches, the Pirates did not falter. Armstrong fought back in singles to eventually draw even with top-ranked Barry, 4-4, with one match left on the court - and in a third-set tiebreaker. Olga Kalodzitsa battled Kimmie Twelker in a match that lasted nearly three and a half hours but fell, 7-4, in the third-set tiebreaker on a referee's overrule that was her third overrule of the match, resulting in a point penalty that turned a score that looked like it would be 5-all into the 7-4 win for the Bucs.
All credit to Barry. Their doubles lineup switch from the first meeting way back in February worked wonders - they turned a 2-1 deficit into the 3-0 advantage that they needed to win the national championship. The Bucs have now won the last two women's tennis titles in Altamonte Springs. Good news for the Pirates - we head back to Surprise, Ariz., next year for the finals.
But the grit and determination the Pirates displayed for what ended up being the final three hours of singles play not only took a page out of how the men played on Friday in the semifinals vs. West Florida, but should allow the team - and the four seniors, Barbora Krtickova, Aleksandra Filipovski, Marlen Hacke and Olga Kalodzitsa - to hold their heads high following the very difficult result today.
BIG congratulations though to the Armstrong softball squad, who knocked off North Georgia, 12-10, in the Super Regional final today to earn the program's second straight berth into the NCAA DII Softball National Championships in Salem, Va.
The Blog may put in for an extension if we get to Virginia, but for right now, it's off to Allendale, Mich., for the NCAA DII Men's Golf Championships !
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