The No. 16 ranked Barton Community College men's tennis team came out on top in Thursday's action at Great Bend's Veteran's Memorial Park tennis courts picking up a 5-3 victory over Tabor College.  The teams split doubles action with Barton getting the benefit of a default in the third double match, then took three of the five played singles matches to earn the win.  Improving to 3-4 on the season, Barton will have over a week off from competition before returning to Vet's Park on Saturday, March 25, for an 8:00 a.m. dual with Colorado Christian University.

Barton dropped both the No. 1 matches, beginning with the doubles match where Marcel Miasato and Juan Navarro falling to Illia Filanchuk and Anton Sopin 9-8 (7-5).   Having a tough day on the court, No. 26 ranked Miasato would take his second loss as NAIA No. 17 ranked Filanchuk rolled through the No. 1 singles match 6-1, 6-2.

Battling back spasms late in the No. doubles match, Navarro had to sit out the No. 2 singles match but the Cougars picked up the victory as normal No. 6 singles player Ray Strunk stepped in to pull the upset of the day.  Keeping the ball in play against Sopin, Strunk captured the first set 6-4 before taking the second set by the same identical score in scoring Barton the difference making victory.

The No. 2 doubles of Giovanni Fragalle and Kaio Massao Sato ran away with an 8-2 victory over Jaime Sanchez and Jeff Pritchard, with Barton picking up the No. 3 victory as Tabor was unable to field a duo.

Fragelle handled Sanchez in the No. 3 singles 6-3, 6-1 while Franciso Gallinal rebounded from a second set thumping from Sato in the fourth singles match winning 6-4, 0-6, and on the top side of a hard fought 10-8 tie break.

With Tabor not being to field the No. 6 singles slot, Barton chose not to take the default win and instead play just the five singles matches.  Juan Diego Jaimes put the nail in the Cougars victory in what would be the final match of the day winning the No. 5 match by twin 6-0 scores over the Blue Jays' Pritchard.