MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — Mississippi College women's tennis made program history Saturday morning, rallying past top-ranked Barry 4-3 in the NCAA South Regional Final at the Buccaneer Tennis Center to earn a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championships.
The seventh-ranked Choctaws (25-1) overcame an early deficit against the reigning national champions, who had won seven of the last eight NCAA Division II national titles, to advance to the national final site in Arizona from May 19-24.
Mississippi College dropped the doubles point after Barry secured victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, but the Choctaws responded with four singles wins to complete the comeback against the nation's top-ranked team.
The turnaround began at the top of the singles lineup with Emily Buchanan delivering one of the biggest wins of the day. Buchanan fell 6-4 in the opening set to Barry's Ailen Crespo and later trailed 4-1 in the second set while facing set point. The Choctaw junior rallied to win the second set 7-5 before taking control in the deciding set for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Mississippi College also received a critical three-set win from Rocio Martinez at No. 2 singles. Martinez edged Barry's Dana Heimen in a first-set tiebreak before rebounding from a second-set loss to earn a 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-4 victory.
Ann Cabot Stockett gave MC its first singles point with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles, while Barry answered with victories at No. 3 and No. 4 singles to even the overall match at 3-3.
That left the regional championship in the hands of freshman Rune Van Wyk at No. 5 singles.
After dropping the first set 6-4, Van Wyk battled back to claim the second set 6-4 before clinching the deciding set by the same score to secure the historic victory for the Choctaws.
The win sends Mississippi College to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time in program history and ends Barry's run atop Division II women's tennis.
