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Box Score
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (March 6) – Sophomore
Jade Pondicas (Johannesburg, South Africa/British International Distance) collected a victory at third singles on Sunday morning, as the No. 8 California University of Pennsylvania tennis team dropped an 8-1 match to No. 4 Barry.
With the loss, the Vulcans falls to 11-5 this season after playing seven nationally-ranked teams in less than a month. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers remain undefeated at 9-0 after posting a 20-win campaign last year. In the 2010 NCAA National Tournament, both Cal U and Barry advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Buccaneers took an early 3-0 lead by sweeping doubles play, losing only five games. At the first position, the fourth-ranked duo of Barbi Pocza and Angie Werschel earned an 8-3 win over the 16th-ranked tandem of Annabel Pieschel (Gothenburg, Sweden/Katrinelund) and Pondicas. The Bucs' Laura Boguet and Alex Gwizdowski posted an 8-1 victory at the second slot against juniors
Axelle Fernandez (Toulouse, France/Institut Familial) and
Anastassiya Zherdeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Gumnasia Number 60). In third doubles, Julie Stas and Olivia Matuszak dealt senior
Laurie Navarro (Eysus, France/Jules Supervielle) and junior
Franziska Steinhardt (Bad Lausick, Germany/St. Augustin Gymnasium) and 8-1 defeat.
On Sunday, Pondicas tied Pieschl for the team lead in singles victories by rallying to a 0-6, 6-3, 10-1 tiebreak win at the third slot against Matuszak. Wendling, the 38th-ranked singles player in the country, earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second singles against Steinhardt, while Gwizdowski posted a 6-1, 6-0 win over Zherdeva at the fourth position.
The match at first singles featured a pair of nationally-ranked players with All-American Werschel dealing 20th-ranked Pieschl a 6-1, 7-5 defeat. At the fifth position, Boguet collected a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Fernandez and Stas earned a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Navarro at the sixth slot.
The Vulcans conclude their spring trip on Wednesday, March, 9, when they face No. 12 Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla.
