The Barton Community College men's tennis team closed out the 2021 season this week with an 8th place finish at the NJCAA Division I Championship held at in Plano and Dallas, Texas.
Ranked 7th coming into the tournament, the Cougars won seven of their eight matches on opening day before running into highly seeded opponents in the second round slipping into the seventh position. Holding steady following day three and day four action, the Cougars wound up their tournament with 21 points in slipping to the 8th position by a point following the fifth day conclusion.
Barton compiled a 14-9 match record throughout the week, winning all six first round matches on the singles side and finishing 7-3 in doubles play. Of the singles losses, one opponent went on to win the championship, three made the national semifinals and two won the consolation final titles. Doubles play also ended to tough opponents with two of the three opponents finishing as national runner-ups.
Advancing the furthest in the event, the No. 3 doubles tandem of Victor Pestana and Yordi Ponce bounced back from a tough 6-3, 6-4 loss in the opening round to lose just four more games in reeling off four victories on the consolation side to win the finals. The duo won their first backside draw match 8-2, received a bye in the second round, and then registered an 8-1 win in the quarterfinals. Receiving a walkover victory in the semifinals, the duo rolled up an 8-1 victory over Itawamba's Torean King and Russell Moorman to capture the Consolation title.
The Cougars' lone seeded entry was the No. 1 doubles of Samrakshyak Bajracharya and Eduardo Morais. After receiving a first round bye, the pair advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-3, victory but had their season end to the eventual national runner-up Tyler Junior College duo of Yassir Kilani and Jaycer Lyeons by a 6-3, 6-3, score.
The No. 2 doubles of James Kaoma and Barnabas Kalaba rolled into the quarterfinals, picking up twin 6-3 wins in the first round before knocking off 3rd seeded and Region VI foes Aymeric Bruno and Alejandro Orihuela of Cowley College 6-4, 7-5. The pair's attempt to knock off its second straight Region VI foe fell short in the quarterfinals in dropping a 6-1 first set but led 5-4 in the second before a season ending 7-6(4) loss in the second to Seward County's 6th seeded and eventual national runner-up duo of Enzo Frequelin and Kylilian Savary.
On the singles side, Barton won all of its six matches before five ended its tournament in the next round to seeded opponents.
Morais was the lone entry to get out of the Round of 16, dispatching his first opponent on a pair of 6-0 blankings then knocked off 5th seeded and eventual consolation final winner Aymeric Bruno of Cowley College by 6-3, 7-6(4) scores. Taking on the 4th seeded and eventual semifinalist Timothy Karpinski of Collin College in the quarters, Morais battled tough before balling 6-3, 7-6(3).
In other singles action:
No. 1 position Bajracharya won his first round match in lengthy fashion 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), before losing to the eventual national champion and 2nd seeded Jaycer Lyeons of Tyler 6-2, 6-3.
Kaoma's No. 2 singles play ended to 6th seeded Augustin Kalinowski of Collin College 6-4, 6-2, after having defeated Pima's Anton Nazaroff 6-3, 6-0.
Pestana opened with a pair of 6-0 wins like Morais did but didn't come out as fortunate in the second round in dropping a 7-6(3), 6-3, loss to 6th seeded Eli Hagan of Wallace State.
In the No. 5 and No. 6 slots, both Kalaba and Leonel Caspe each dominated to 6-1, 6-0, opening round victories before having their tournament runs end in the second round by again identical 6-2, 6-0 scores to eventual national semifinalists. Kalaba's loss went to 2nd seeded Jeff Guerrero of Tyler while Caspe fell to 3rd seeded Javi Pla of Cowley College.
Barton Results:
Singles
No. 1 Singles: Samrakshyak Bajracharya
1st Round - defeated *Sebastian Gamez-Para, Wallace State, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3)
Round of 16 – lost to (2) **Jaycer Lyeons, Tyler JC, 6-2, 6-3
*Won Consolation Finals
**Won Championship
No. 2 Singles: James Kaoma
1st Round – defeated Anton Nazaroff, Pima CC, 6-3, 6-0
Round of 16 – lost to (6) Agustin Kalinowski, Collin College, 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Singles: Eduardo Morais
1st Round – defeated Roman Earhart, Paradise Valley, 6-0, 6-0
Round of 16 - defeated (5) *Aymeric Bruno, Cowley College, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Quarterfinals – lost to (4) **Timothy Karpinski, Collin College, 6-3, 7-6(3)
*Won Consolation Finals
**Semifinalist
No. 4 Singles: Victor Pestana
1st Round – defeated Austin Phillips, Illinois Valley, 6-0, 6-0
Round of 16 – lost to (6) Eli Hagan, Wallace State, 7-6(3), 6-3
No. 5 Singles: Barnabas Kalaba
1st Round – defeated Steed Springfield, ECCC, 6-1, 6-0
Round of 16 – lost to (2) *Jeff Guerrero, Tyler JC, 6-2, 6-0
*Semifinalist
No. 6 Singles: Leonel Caspe
1st Round – defeated Torean King, Itawamba, 6-1, 6-0
Round of 16 – lost to (3) *Javi Pla, Cowley College, 6-2, 6-0
*Semifinalist
Doubles
No. 1 Doubles: Samrakshyak Bajracharya / Eduardo Morais (6th Seeded)
1st Round - received a bye
Round of 16 - defeated Connor Coots / Sebastian Gamez-Para, Wallace State, 6-0, 6-3
Quarterfinals – lost to (3) *Yassir Kilani / Jaycer Lyeons, Tyler JC, 6-3, 6-3
*National Runner-Up
No. 2 Doubles: James Kaoma / Barnabas Kalaba
1st Round – defeated Clay Fudge / Pedro Molero, MGCCC, 6-3, 6-3
Round of 16 - defeated (3) Aymeric Bruno / Alejandro Orihuela, Cowley College, 6-4, 7-5
Quarterfinals – lost to (6) *Enzo Frequelin / Kyllian Savary, Seward County, 6-1, 7-6(4)
*National Runner-Up
No. 3 Doubles: Victor Pestana / Yordi Ponce
1st Round – lost to Daniel Mahoney / Kristen Pavitt, USC-Sumter, 6-3, 6-4
Consolation 1st Rd – defeated Max Kampf / Keann Matias, Lake County, 8-2
Consolation 2nd Rd – received bye
Consolation Quarterfinals – defeated Emanuel Robles / Landon Strickland, Pima, 8-1
Consolation Semifinals – received walk-over victory over Austin Phillips / Derek Wilkinson, Illinois Valley
Consolation Championship – defeated Torean King / Russell Moorman, Itawamba, 8-1
Team Standings
Place - Team - Total Points
1. Tyler - 49
2. Cowley - 39
3. Seward - 37
4. Eastern Florida St. - 34
5. ABAC - 32
6. Collin - 31
7. Wallace St. - 22
8. Barton - 21
9. Jacksonville - 20
10. Iowa Central - 18
11. Harford - 17
12. Mesa - 16.5
13. USC-Sumter - 16
14. Marion Military - 13
15, Lake County - 12.5
16. Jones - 12
18. Mississippi Gulf Coast - 12
18. Copiah-Lincoln - 11
18. East Central - 11
18. Itawamba - 11
21. Meridian - 9
22. Pima - 6.5
23. Kaskaskia - 4.5
24. Sauk Valley - 4