With tennis coming to an abrupt halt on March 12, an abbreviated version of my monthly Aces column seemed likely, yet with just two weeks worth of competition, 17 performances stood out, including three ITA National Indoor champions crowned on the first day of the month. With the NCAA championships canceled for 2020, it’s fortunate that all three divisions, including the inaugural events in Division II, completed their tournaments before college athletics were shut down to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ITA Women's Division III Team Indoor Championships final match went down to the wire, with top seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps beating No. 2 seed and defending champion Emory 5-4 to avenge its loss to the Eagles in last year’s Team Indoor final. CMS senior Catherine Allen closed out the title in the last match on, coming from 5-4 down in the third set for 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 win at line 2 over Defne Olcay. (Photo credit: ITA/Jacob Dye)
Another finalist that gained revenge in the ITA Team Indoor Championships was No. 2 Columbus State, which had lost to top seed Barry in the 2019 NCAA Division II men’s team championships last May. The Cougars won the doubles point and earned straight-sets wins at lines 1, 2, and 3, with sophomore Christian Garay providing the clinching point in the inaugural Division II Team Indoor Championships. (Photo credit: Columbus State Athletics)
While the Barry men fell at the final hurdle, the Barry women returned to Florida with the winner’s trophy at the first Division II Women’s Team Indoor Championships. The top-seeded Buccaneers, NCAA champions in 2017, 2018 and 2019, defeated surprise finalist Hawaii Pacific, the No. 6 seed, 4-0 in the championship match. Barry won the doubles point and earned wins at lines 1 and 6, before Daniela Farfan clinched the Buccaneers fourth consecutive National Championship at line 4. (Photo credit: Barry Athletics)
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