MIAMI SHORES â€" After back-to-back rainouts to start the season, Florida Southern finally got a chance to play Saturday morning against 3rd-ranked Barry University. The Buccaneers, though, kept the Moccasins off the scoreboard with a 9-0 win that extended their regular season winning streak to 45 matches.
Florida Southern, which begins the season ranked #11 in the country, had previously scheduled matches against Rollins and Saint Leo postponed by rain, forcing a late start to its season. Barry (3-0, 1-0 Sunshine State Conference) put the Moccasins under pressure right away by winning the three doubles matches by scores of 8-2, 8-0, and 8-2, one of them featuring the top-ranked doubles team of Linda Fritschken and Emma Onila against the nation's 10th-ranked team of Florida Southern junior Magda Riutort (Petra, Spain) and senior Sabine Goge (Cesis, Latvia). The Bucs then got a 6-2, 6-1 win from Kimmy Twelker at #6 singles, and a 6-1, 6-1 victory from Fritschken at the #3 position to clinch the match.
The Moccasins’ best performance came from its #1 and #2 singles players, Riutort and Goge. Riutort fell in the top flight to Onila, 6-4, 6-3, and Goge dropped a 7-5, 6-3 decision to Karina Goia. Onila is the nation’s 8th-ranked singles player, and Goia is ranked #19. Riutort and Goge are #22 and #36 respectively.
Florida Southern will play its next match on Tuesday (Feb. 18), when it hosts Eckerd in its 2014 home opener beginning at 3 p.m.
