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The Valdosta State men defended their title while the Barry University women regained their familiar perch as champions at this year’s NCAA Division II Championships.

Top-seeded Valdosta State beat No. 9 Washburn 4-3 in the men’s final at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida to complete back-to-back title runs. No. 1 Barry rallied to beat No. 2 Nova Southeastern 4-3 in the women’s final to avenge last year’s finals loss, which snapped a six-year title winning streak. The Bucs have won seven of the last eight national titles and an NCAA Division II-best nine overall.

Blazing to victory

Valdosta State (26-0) completed an undefeated season and stretched its winning streak to 42 straight matches dating back to 2024. The Blazers are the 10th Division II program to win back-to-back NCAA titles. The title was the fourth overall in VSU program history.

VSU’s Takeshi Taco and Xaveam Van Wijk beat the top-ranked team of Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes 6-4 to clinch the doubles point for VSU. Befitting a championship match, four of the six singles matches went to a third set.

Taco, ranked No. 2 nationally, beat Hammes 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 on court one to give the Blazers a 2-0 lead. Washburn (23-4), which was making the first national final appearance in program history, responded with wins by Zino Mahimiak at No. 5 singles and Vasek Schneider at No. 2 singles to even the match 2-2.

After Edgar Destouet put VSU back on top with a three-set win at No. 3, the teams endured a more than two hour weather and lightning delay. It didn’t slow VSU’s momentum as the Blazers clinched the title with three-set win by freshman Julien Doitteau on court six.

Valdosta State head coach John Hansen has led the Blazer to all four national titles in a coaching career that has spanned over 50 years at VSU. He will be inducted into the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Barry’s back on top

Barry (26-1) dropped the doubles point to NSU (25-4), and fell behind 3-1 after NSU’s Kristyna Hranacova defeated Alina Michalitsch 6-0, 6-4 at No. 1 singles and Ita Habekovic beat Viktoriia Dema 7-5, 6-3.

But the lower part of the lineup came through for the Bucs, who needed to win all three remaining matches to capture the title.

Angela Leweurs beat Julia Moraes 6-4, 6-4 at No. 6 and Dinara Alloiarova beat Noemie Dadoun 7-5, 6-4 at No. 5 to even the match 3-3.

Just as it did in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament final, the match came down to Barry’s Andrea Di Palma and NSU’s Sofia Shing at No. 3 singles. Di Palma recovered after losing the first set to beat Shing 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 and secure the national crown.

Barry’s ninth national title broke the tie it shared with Armstrong Atlantic for the most women’s titles in Division II history. The Bucs ended the season on a 23-match winning streak, and their only loss this season came against Division I Florida Gulf Coast University.

Leweurs, a redshirt senior from France, became the first female Barry player to earn four national championships during her career.

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].