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WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 18, 2012) - After a 15-6 regular season and 5-1 mark in conference play, sixth-ranked Rollins enters the 2012 Florida Blue Sunshine State Conference Championship as the No. 2 seed.
The Tars will match-up with seventh-seed Eckerd at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 19 in the quarterfinals. Rollins blanked the Tritons 9-0 earlier in the season.
The event is being hosted by Barry University at the Beerman Tennis Complex in Lakeland.
Rollins is riding a six-game winning streak into the championship, which includes victories over three ranked teams in the span. On the season, the Tars are 6-4 versus teams ranked in the nation.
The Tars signature wins include decisions over fourth-ranked Concordia (NY), third-ranked Barry and then top-ranked Valdosta State, who captured the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship.
The Tars traversed the challenging SSC schedule with just one blemish, a 7-2 loss to champion Lynn in the conference opener. They then went on to beat Florida Southern (6-3), Saint Leo (5-4) and Florida Tech (7-2) in three consecutive matches. Later in the season, Rollins locked its seed in with a win over Barry and shutout of Eckerd.
Seniors Lucas Jovita and Jeff Morris headline Rollins on the season. Jovita, ranked second in the nation, went 18-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in conference play in singles. Morris is ranked sixth in Division II singles and posted a 17-2 mark overall and was also a perfect 6-0 in the SSC. Jovita and Alabaster (13-3, 4-1 SSC) enter the tournament as the nation's 10th-ranked doubles tandem.
Rollins owns a record 18 Sunshine State Conference Championships with the last coming in 2004. The Tars dominated the tournament in early years, winning 15 straight from 1980 to 1994. Barry's eight titles is the second most in SSC history.
Fans can follow all the action through live stats on the Sunshine State Conference Championship page.
2012 FLORIDA BLUE SSC TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals - Thursday, April 19
9 a.m.
(Men) No. 4 Saint Leo vs. No. 5 Florida Southern
(Men) No. 3 Barry vs. No. 6 Florida Tech
11:30 a.m.
(Men) No. 2 Rollins vs. No. 7 Eckerd
(Women) No. 4 Rollins vs. No. 5 Nova Southeastern
Noon
(Women) No. 1 Barry vs. No. 8 Tampa
2 p.m.
(Women) No. 3 Saint Leo vs. No. 6 Florida Tech
(Women) No. 2 Lynn vs. No. 7 Florida Southern
* The No. 1-seeded men's team received a quarterfinal bye.
Semifinals & Backdraw - Friday, April 20
9 a.m.
Men's Semifinal: No. 1 vs. Winner No. 4/5
Men's Semifinal: Winner No. 2/7 vs. Winner No. 3/6
11:30 a.m.
Women's Semifinal: Winner No. 1/8 vs. Winner No. 4/5
Men's Backdraw: Loser No. 2/7 vs. Loser No. 3/6
Noon
Women's Semifinal: Winner No. 2/7 vs. Winner No. 3/6
2 p.m.
Women's Backdraw: Loser No. 1/8 vs. Loser No. 4/5
Women's Backdraw: Loser No. 2/7 vs. Loser No. 3/6
Championships & Consolation Matches - Saturday, April 21
9 a.m.
Men's Championship: Semifinal Winners
Men's Third Place: Semifinal Losers
11:30 a.m.
Women's Championship: Semifinal Winners
Men's Fifth Place: Backdraw Winner vs. Loser No. 4/5 (from Thursday)
Noon
Women's Third Place: Semifinal Losers
2 p.m.
Women's Fifth Place: Backdraw Winners
Women's Seventh Place: Backdraw Losers
ROLLINS Men's Tennis
