Historic Season Ends for Catawba Men’s Tennis in National Semifinals

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The season came to an end for the Catawba men's tennis team on Saturday morning as the Indians fell to defending national champion Barry, 4-0, in the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis National Semifinal in Surprise, Arizona.

Catawba capped its historic season with a 22-2 overall record after advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in program history. Barry improved to 25-0 on the year and advanced to the national championship match.

The Buccaneers claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Barry's Simone Cavalleri and Riccardo Trione earned a 6-1 victory over Luca Bergonzi and Agustin Mastri at the top flight, while Antonin Chapuis and Yan Kodjoed posted a 6-1 win against Mateo Berne and Alessandro Valletta at No. 3 doubles.

In singles play, Barry secured straight-set wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 singles to clinch the match. Yan Kodjoed defeated Santiago Passoni 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 singles, Adam Lynch earned a 7-5, 6-2 win over Mateo Berne at No. 3 singles and Elie Azoulay topped Ryosuke Inagawa 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5 singles.

Several matches remained unfinished when the contest was decided. Mastri was in control at No. 1 singles after taking the opening two sets against nationally-ranked Riccardo Trione, while Alen Bill and Luca Bergonzi were also battling deep into their matches.

The Indians close the 2026 campaign with the finest season in program history, highlighted by a South Atlantic Conference Championship, an NCAA Southeast Regional title and the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II national semifinals.