LAKELAND, Fla. (April 22, 2012) - After waiting through yet another rain delay all night, it took just a few minutes Sunday for sixth-ranked Rollins to have its fate sealed in a 5-3 loss to 18^th-ranked Saint Leo.

The defeat to the Lions was the Tars' first in program history and gives them fourth place in the Florida Blue Sunshine State Conference Tennis Championship.

Rollins (15-8) and the rest of the field battled rain and thunderstorms the entire tournament, which was hosted by Barry at the Beerman Tennis Complex in Lakeland.

The match started early Saturday afternoon with Rollins taking a 2-1 lead after doubles. The Tars 10^th-ranked tandem of Lucas Jovita and Jason Alabaster scored an 8-4 upset over eight-ranked Matt Nicholson-Lewis and Victor Lozier in the top doubles flight to get rolling.

Bernardo Barroso and Constantin Sturdza beat Gonzalez-Tarrio and Antonie Raffaelli 8-4 in the No. 2 match with Jeff Morris and Ari Davis falling 8-2 to Aloua Adjenak and Jake Fleischer at No. 3.

Alabaster gave the Tars a 3-1 lead early in singles with a 6-1, 6-3 win past Fleischer in the No. 5 match. Saint Leo then came charging back to tie the match 3-3 with two quick victories. Barroso lost to Raffaelli 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 6 match while 43^rd-ranked Malte Christesen lost to 28^th-ranked Lozier 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.

In a shocker, sixth-ranked Morris was upset by 33^rd-ranked Nicholson-Lewis 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 2 match to give the Lions their fourth point.

Weather then halted the match with second-ranked Jovita leading Adjenak in the third set of the No. 1 match and Davis behind Gonzalez-Tarrio late in the second set of the fourth.

Back at it Sunday morning, Davis couldn't break and fell 6-4, 7-5 as the Lions sealed up the win.

Rollins will next await its place in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The selection show is slated to air at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 on NCAA.com.

Tennis Match Results
Saint Leo vs Rollins
4/22/12 at Lakeland, Fla.
(Beerman Tennis Center)

#18 Saint Leo 5, #6 Rollins 3

 Singles competition
1. #2 Lucas Jovita (RC) vs. #42 Aloua Adjenak (SLM) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
2. #33 Matt Nicholson-Lewis (SLM) def. #6 Jeff Morris (RC) 6-3, 6-1
3. #28 Victor Lozier (SLM) def. #43 Malte Christesen (RC) 6-4, 6-4
4. Gonzalez-Tarrio (SLM) def. Ari Davis (RC) 6-4, 7-5
5. Jason Alabaster (RC) def. Jake Fleischer (SLM) 6-1, 6-3
6. Antonine Raffaelli (SLM) def. Bernardo Barroso (RC) 6-2, 6-1

 Doubles competition
1. #10 Lucas Jovita/Jason Alabaster (RC) def. #8 Matt Nicholson-Lewis/Victor Lozier (SLM) 8-4
2. Bernardo Barroso/Constantin Sturdza (RC) def. Gonzalez-Tarrio/Antonine Raffaelli (SLM) 8-4
3. Aloua Adjenak/Jake Fleischer (SLM) def. Jeff Morris/Ari Davis (RC) 8-2

Match Notes:
Saint Leo 16-7; National ranking #18; Regional ranking #6
Rollins 15-8; National ranking #6; Regional ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,6,3,2,4)
Florida Blue SSC Championships
Third place match
Continued from 4-21-12