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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a 14th consecutive Big Ten title and a fourth Big Ten Tournament crown in a row, the Ohio State men’s tennis team will enter the NCAA Tennis Championship as the No. 1 overall seed. The Buckeyes are set to host Cleveland on Friday at 2 p.m.
This is the 20th time the Buckeyes have been selected for the NCAA Championship with every appearance coming under the direction of head coach Ty Tucker. They have an overall record of 53-19 with a pair of runner-up finishes including last year’s run to the championship match.
Ohio State was selected to host the first and second round matches for the 14th-consecutive season. The Buckeyes have never lost an NCAA Tournament match in Columbus. That includes sweeps of 15 of the 16 opponents over the last eight years. Ohio State has advanced past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament 15 times in its previous 19 appearances and has won at least one match in every year but one.
Joining the Buckeyes and Vikings in Columbus will be Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, who will kick off the action on Friday, May 3 at 11 a.m. Ohio State and ETSU will follow with the second match of the day, slated to begin at 2 p.m. The winners will face off on Saturday, May 4 at 1 p.m.
Ohio State opened the season by sweeping a double-header from Cleveland State back on Jan. 20. Overall, the Buckeyes are 13-0 all-time against the Vikings. Cleveland State won the Horizon League and are winners of its last nine matches. The Vikings enter the tournament at 19-7 overall.
Notre Dame and Vanderbilt are both familiar with the NCAA Tournament in Columbus as they also faced each other in the first round in 2015. The Buckeyes have played each team twice in the NCAA Tournament, including beating Vanderbilt 4-0 in the previously mentioned 2015 tournament. The Irish were 17-14 this season while Vanderbilt navigated the tough SEC at 15-11.
The Buckeyes are 29-2 this season and claimed their 14th-consecutive regular season crown and their 14th Big Ten Tournament title. OSU has won eight matches against top-15 ranked teams. Individually, JJ Wolf has been the top-ranked singles player in the country most of the spring and John McNally and Kyle Seelig and both ranked in the top-60. The Buckeyes also have four ranked doubles teams.
Schedule
Friday, May 3
11 a.m. – Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt
2 p.m. – Ohio State vs. Cleveland State
Saturday, May 4
1 p.m. – advancing teams
