They say seven is a lucky number, but there's little luck involved when you're competing to win your seventh consecutive NCAA national championship.
The Barry women's tennis team is hoping to claim its seventh title in a row and ninth overall, both DII women's tennis records, this week at the Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida.
Since Director of Tennis Avi Kigel took over the program in 2008-09, the Buccaneers have been on a remarkable run that has included six undefeated seasons and four one-loss seasons.
Barry has lost six total matches in the past eight years.
What's the secret sauce? To the Buccaneers, it's all about the process.
"We don't talk too much about the championships or the past championships," Kigel said. "We're really more about the process, how to get better as a team, as individuals. We're just doing the small things really, really good."
Freshman Margaryta Malakhova joined the team in January and quickly grasped the program's winning characteristics.
"Dedication, hard work, incredible support from the coaching staff and teamwork," she said. "Girls are so supportive, both on and off the court. Coaches are doing everything to prepare us in the best way, mentally and physically."
Featuring a roster of 16 student-athletes from 10 countries, the collection of different backgrounds, experiences and languages doesn't hold the team back.
"Between the girls on the team, we're really friendly," said junior Dinara Alloiarova, a 2023 Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American. "We're really supportive, and it just feels like a family."
Kigel, a former DII men's tennis student-athlete at Norfolk State and native of Tel Aviv, Israel, stresses respect, regardless of someone's home country.
"What we really impress upon them is that you have the respect of everybody, and when we are on the court together, we work together as a team," he said. "We're a family. There's going to be some problems, but at the end of the day, everybody wants the whole team to get better."
Barry's team-first mentality has been on display with a roster that has two Russian and two Ukrainian student-athletes. Understanding the cultural sensitivities, Kigel first asked Alloiarova, from Russia, and Malakhova, from Ukraine, about the pair's willingness to be roommates, and they became fast friends.
Alloiarova's No. 1 doubles partner is another Ukrainian, Viktoriia Dema. Together, they have a 19-4 record this season and are ranked 34th in the ITA rankings. The pair's playing styles are a perfect complement to each other.
Sophomore Viktoriia Dema returns a volley during a match against Nebraska Kearney in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
"Her type of tennis is a little bit stronger than mine," Alloiarova said. "Like I'm playing more like in defense and she's playing very aggressive. So for me, it's easier to approach the net when she's playing."
Tennis is played across the world, and sports always have been a great unifier. Kigel knows that the student-athletes on his team aren't involved in what's happening on the other side of the world and tactfully navigates these political dynamics.
"Can you pull those things aside and just see who the person is in front of you? Just measure them by their heart, by their actions, and not by their country," he said. "There are different views, but luckily this year, I mean they really looked at the person and not the things outside, and it worked."
There's no argument against the success of the Buccaneers' women's tennis program. After the team won its first championship in 2011, then-Athletics Director Mike Covone told Kigel, "Hey, you know you can win 10 championships over here."
"I always thought he was crazy, but now this is kind of my goal," Kigel said. "I know if we get to 10, I would want to get to 20. It's always what's next and what's next."
As Barry keeps rewriting the history books, no other women's tennis program in any NCAA division has ever won more than six championships in a row. Don't expect complacency to set in any time soon.
"I'm so proud of what we've been able to accomplish and what we hopefully will continue to accomplish, but we keep it very simple year-by-year," Kigel said. "What we've done in the past is great, but it doesn't guarantee future success.
"When I look back, I am very, very proud of what we have accomplished, but we never relax. Yes, we have a great past, but we want to win this year. Hopefully after this year, I'm going to enjoy it for one day and then get ready for the following year. It's always looking at what's next."
