by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-The Barton College tennis programs will attempt to dodge some potential rain and get in its rescheduled non-conference matches at the Barton Tennis Complex against Chowan University Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.
If wet weather once again influences the Barton-Chowan matches on Monday, an update will be published on the Barton Athletics official website.
Barton tennis fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
Barton College Tennis
Barton men's tennis went 3-0 in the fall and the Lady Bulldogs carry a 2-1 record into the spring semester. BC attempted to complete its first match of 2014 against nationally ranked Francis Marion University on Feb. 1 but both contests were washed out after doubles competition.
On the men's side, Barton won all three of its fall matches by matching 5-0 scores with the doubles pairings of No. 1 Jake McCartney-Rafael Ruiz, No. 2 Max Leppert-Jorge Pradilla and No. 3 Nick Genest-Daniel Radu. Freshman Yaxi Pintado paired up with Genest in the third doubles match against the No. 17 nationally ranked Francis Marion Patriots and looked good with an 8-5 win but the victory will not count on their record being the team match was never completed.
McCartney (1-0) had an outstanding first semester at Barton winning the second flight of the Conference Carolinas Fall Tournament and won his only singles dual match in the Bulldogs second slot. Leppert – a Third Team All-Conference honoree in 2013 – at No. 3 and Genest at No. 6 also carry 1-0 singles records into 2014.
BC returned all six position players from last season but is still a young team without a senior.
The Bulldogs picked up an 8-1 victory against Chowan in Murfreesboro, N.C., last season including another sweep in doubles.
Barton women's tennis bounced back from a season-opening loss to Carson-Newman with wins against Brevard and Catawba in the Conference Carolinas/SAC Challenge in October.
The Lady Bulldogs have a deep roster of 10 and will have a shuffled lineup since the fall with the addition of freshman Ananya Sarkar over the semester break.
Sophomore Smiljana Kljajic (1-0) and junior Alicia Lasry (0-1), who also paired up to play as BC's top doubles tandem in all three fall matches, return as the Lady Bulldogs top singles players from last season. Kljajic made a run to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Conference Carolinas Fall Tournament while Lasry was a Conference Carolinas All-Conference honoree in 2013. Junior Meredith Pruden had the most success for the Lady Bulldogs in fall dual matches going 2-0 at No. 4 singles and pairing up with freshman Randi Price to go 2-1 as Barton's second doubles duo. Pruden started the New Year with a noteworthy 8-4 doubles win with Sarkar against the No. 12 ranked FMU Lady Patriots but the incomplete match will keep the victory off the record books. Senior Caroline Fisher (1-0) is the only other Royal Blue and White player with a singles win in the fall.
Barton squeaked out a 5-4 win at Chowan last season. The Lady Bulldogs depth proved invaluable in the victory with Pruden, Fischer and senior Kristy Lievense picking up the clinching three singles wins at the bottom half of the lineup.
Chowan University Tennis
Chowan men's tennis enters with a perfect 3-0 record and is ranked No. 8 in the current ITA Atlantic Region poll. The Lady Hawks are 3-1 after suffering their first loss of the season on Sunday.
Just like Barton, the CU men went 3-0 in the fall with victories over Bluefield (9-0), Concord (7-2) and Shepherd (5-4).
Senior Pedro Aiala (2-1) and freshman Farid Hajizada (3-0) split time at top of the Hawks lineup in the fall. Aiala had the Hawks only win in last year's loss to Barton in the top position while Hajizada also has an exhibition singles win against Division I East Carolina University in January. Aiala joined juniors Ivan Doubograev (1-1) and Danilo Galovic (1-2) on the All-CIAA awards list in 2013. Junior Sasha Kirsanov and freshman Tristan Martin join Hajizada with perfect 3-0 singles records in dual matches.
On the women's side, Chowan also picked up fall triumphs against Bluefield (7-0), Concord (7-0) and Shepherd (9-0) but were defeated in its 2014 opener against UNC Pembroke (8-1) on Sunday, Feb. 9.
The top five singles players all boast 3-1 dual match records for the Lady Hawks including (in projected order) junior Natalya Kamenshchikova, senior Holly Stambaugh, sophomore Breanne Johnson, sophomore Jessica De Backre and sophomore Straffai Cleveland.
Kamenshchikova and Johnson, who teamed up for Chowan's lone doubles win and then posted a pair of singles wins in last year's loss to Barton, were both All-CIAA in 2013.
