Box Score by Kevin Buczek
GAFFNEY, S.C.-Freshman setter Federico Pagliara posted season-high totals of 49 assists, 16 digs and four blocks in leading the Barton College men's tennis team to a 3-2 (27-25, 19-25, 23-25, 26-24, 18-16) Conference Carolinas victory over Limestone College Saturday afternoon in the Timken Center.
A trio of Bulldogs reached double digit kills in junior Zach McCalla (20 kills) and freshmen Chad Stanback Jr. (16) and Jonathan Novoa-Miralles (10). Stanback had BC's hottest hand recording his 16 spikes on 31 swings with just five error for a .355 hitting percentage.
Barton (4-8 overall, 3-6 conf.) has played five 5-set matches in league play. The Bulldogs moved over .500 at 3-2 in fifth sets while completing season series sweep of Limestone (8-4, 4-3) with a second straight five-set triumph over the Saints.
Pagliara's second double-double helped the Royal Blue and White to a .119 hitting percentage and a 57-50 dig advantage. McCalla registered his first double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs. Junior Mike McMahon added 14 digs.
Barton had to fight to win all three of its sets in dramatic extended frames.
The Bulldogs took the initial lead winning the first set 27-25. Limestone had a chance to take the period serving for set point at 25-24 but a Stanback spike knotted the score for a 14th time. A block by Stanback and junior Tanner Medina put BC ahead before a Saints error ended the first.
Limestone trailed 14-13 midway through the second set but was able to tie the match by closing the stanza on a 12-5 run. The Saints also trailed 15-12 in the third but once again rallied to take a 2-1 set led. Barton kept things close tying the middle frame at 23-23 but kills by junior Jon Schaefer and senior Curtis Van Grinsven put the hosts ahead.
LC had two chances at match point leading 24-22 in the fourth but Barton survived with consecutive kills by Medina and McCalla. The Saints helped the Bulldogs tie the match at 2-2 with a hitting error and a bad set to force the decisive fifth set.
The race to 15 points featured 10 ties before McCalla sealed the wild win with two consecutive points. Bulldogs had three prior chances to complete the comeback leading 14-13, 15-14 and 16-15 but a pair of service errors and a kill by Schaefer kept Limestone alive. McCalla gave BC a fourth try at match point with his 20th blast before he came up with a game-winning solo block one play later.
McCalla had 13 of his 20 spikes in the final two sets. Medina added a season-high eight kills for the Bulldogs while junior Ladislav Lelkes had five.
Junior Eric Zaun paced the Saints with 20 kills. Freshman Bruno Kretzschmar tallied a double-double with a dozen kills and a dozen digs. Schaefer chipped in 16 kills and freshman Luca Wanek notched 47 assists.
Barton concludes a four-match road swing at Emmanuel College on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
