#14 Men's Tennis To Face #3 Barry in NCAA Regional

LAKELAND, Fla. – After earning the No. 6 seed in the NCAA South Regional, the No. 14 Florida Southern College men's tennis team will face No.3/three-seed Barry University on Friday afternoon for the first round of regional matches.
 
NCAA South Region Tournament
Opponent: No. 3/three-seed Barry University
Location: Pensacola, Fla. | Ralph "Skeeter" Carson Tennis Complex
Date: Friday, May 9, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. ET/9:00 a.m. CT
 
The Moccasins captured its 22^nd NCAA postseason appearance as the six-seed, the second consecutive year selected to regionals. The first match for the Mocs in the single-elimination tournament will be a rematch of the Sunshine State Conference championship, taking on the Buccaneers in Pensacola. FSC has not made back-to-back postseason appearances since the Mocs had 18 straight appearances from 1996 to 2013.
 
"We are excited to be in our second regional match in a row, hopefully setting the expectation for our program to be great," said head coach Rhett Rollyson on this year's regional bid. "That being said, this is a difficult region with no room for error if we are going to win and move on. I see a path to victory, and we must execute that plan to beat a team like Barry.  There is no room for error, but I feel we are capable of putting ourselves in a good position to win. The guys are excited for this opportunity and hope to go out and do our best."

No. 14/Six-Seed Moccasins | Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Stats
Florida Southern enters the NCAA postseason with a fantastic 2025 season already. The Mocs are 17-8 overall, the most match wins in a season since 2008, and finished with a winning SSC record for the first time since 2010. FSC had a historic run in this year's SSC championships, beating Lynn in the quarterfinal and an upset of Saint Leo in the semifinal to advance to the first conference championship game since 2002. Mario Garoz, named the SSC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Year, enters the NCAA postseason with a 22-2 record, breaking the single season win record of 20 matches during the tournament.
 
Recognized by his peers for this season's success, Rollyson was named the SSC Coach of the Year, just the second FSC coach and third time in program history to earn the award. Chris Fok Kow, with a 17-3 singles record, was named All-SSC First Team and joined Garoz in a Second Team Doubles recognition. Heading into tomorrow's match, FSC has a doubles pairing of Fok Kow/Garoz ranked No. 18, Sam Frizelle No. 73 in singles, and Garoz No. 41, also in singles.
 
No. 3/Three-Seed Buccaneers | Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Stats
Barry University will take on Florida Southern for the third time the season, most recently winning the SSC Championship 4-1 against the Mocs at the end of last month. The Buccaneers are making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance this year. Barry has captured five NCAA national championships (2010, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023) and finished as runner-up seven times. They have also earned 15 South Region titles.
 
This season, Barry is 18-3, with their only Division II losses coming against West Florida and Valdosta State. For the ITA ranking of their players, the Bucs have two doubles pairings in the top 50, Leo Caill/Adam Lynch ranked No. 38, and Habriele Felline/Tim Riedel No. 36. In singles, Barry has Riccardo Trione ranked 38th and Yan Kodjoed 33rd.
 
Series Matchup
Since 1996, both teams have faced each other 46 times, with Barry holding a 39-7 record over Florida Southern. In the NCAA postseason, FSC and Barry have competed against each other three times, Barry holding a slight 2-1 lead. The last regional matchup against the Bucs was May 2016, when the Mocs lost 5-0. The last regional win against Barry was May 4, 2002, with a 5-1 win in the second match of regionals to advance to the national championships. Overall, the Mocs lost the last 24 matches to the Buccaneers, dating back to March 18, 2007, with a 5-4 home win by FSC. Last time out, the Mocs faced the Bucs in the SSC Championship Final, falling 4-1.
 
Tournament History
The Moccasins have their second consecutive regional bid after last season's No. 7 seed at Saint Leo. FSC made NCAA postseason appearances for 18 straight seasons from 1996 to 2013, with its 19th appearance in 2016. The Moccasins are looking for their first NCAA postseason win since 2011, when FSC beat Morehouse 5-0 in the first round. Overall, FSC is 16-18 in the regional tournament, and 0-1 in regional games in Pensacola after a 5-0 loss to West Florida in 2013.
 
Other Matches in NCAA South Region
No. 2/two-seed West Florida versus No. 11/seven-seed Mississippi College will also take place on Friday, May 9. The #1 bracket for the South Region features Valdosta State versus Spring Hill and Saint Leo against Lee, taking place in Valdosta, Ga. by host VSU.
 
 
NCAA Championships
The winner of the FSC versus Barry matchup will advance to face the winner of the #2/7 seed match to be played on Saturday, May 10, at noon local. That final matchup will produce a winner to join 15 others at the NCAA National Championships at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs on May 20-24, hosted by Rollins College and Greater Orlando Sports Commission.