Buckeyes Play Host to Region’s Best – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Nov. 1, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s tennis team has the honor of hosting the region’s top players in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional, Wednesday through Monday (Nov. 3-8), at The Racquet Club of Columbus (1100 Bethel Rd.). Prequalifying rounds will be held Wednesday and Thursday in both singles and doubles, with main draw action beginning Friday. Results of the ITA Midwest Regional will be posted on the internet at ohiostatebuckeyes.com
The ITA Midwest Regional
The ITA Midwest Regional is one of eight ITA regional tournaments being held across the country over the next two weeks. Players are competing for spots in the 2000 Rolex National Indoor Championships, the third leg of the ITA Grand Slam, to be held Feb. 3-6, 2000, in Dallas. The singles champions and finalists and doubles champions from the Regional advance to that tournament.
The Coach
Chuck Merzbacher is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Buckeyes. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading the squad to a 14-11 record last season. His overall career record is 169-101, while his mark at OSU is 36-38.
Buckeyes Nationally Ranked
After ending last season ranked 69th (tied) in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Kristy Dascoli has moved up to No. 50 in the ITA Preseason Rankings. Dascoli and Briana Harris are No. 7 in the country in the preseason doubles rankings, up from No. 20 after last season.
All-American Tourney Recap
The Buckeyes battled hard but had little to show for it after competing at the Riviera Women’s All-American Championships, the second leg of the collegiate grand slam, Oct. 18-21, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The No. 7-ranked doubles duo of Briana Harris and Kristy Dascoli lost in three sets to No. 10-ranked Curran/Jensen of California in the first round of the main draw. No. 50 Dascoli suffered a three-set defeat in the first round of singles qualifying action. Michelle Matko and Harris each lost in the first round of prequalifying at the tournament, with Matko falling to Marisa Yang of California and Harris going three sets before losing to Pacific’s Anouk Sinnige. Hoosier Classic Recap
The Buckeyes also had a good showing at the Hoosier Classic Invitational, Oct. 15-17, in Bloomington, Ind. Claudia Castro led the way for OSU after claiming the Flight #3 title. Sadhaf Pervez was the runner-up in Flight #2, while Monica Rincon placed third in Flight #1 singles. Freshmen Taryn Bowen and Katherine Martin each won two of three matches in round robin action. In doubles, Castro and Rincon lost in the final of Flight #1, while Pervez and Laura Maloney lost in the semifinals of the same flight.
Academic Standouts
The Buckeyes were one of 43 Division I women’s squads honored by the ITA for compiling a team cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale) last season.
A Record-Setting Year
Last season was the first year an Ohio State women’s tennis team, singles player and doubles team all qualified for the NCAA tournament. The squad finished the year with a 14-11 overall record, going 6-4 in the Big Ten.
Moving Up in the Big Ten
The Buckeyes have finished higher in the Big Ten each year under Merzbacher. The squad was 6-4 last season, placing sixth in the conference, the highest ever for an OSU squad.
Buckeye Newcomers
Merzbacher has added three freshmen to the roster for this season. Sadhaf Pervez, of Warren, N.J., was a two-time county champion and has been ranked as high as seventh in the nation in doubles. She ranks first on the team with a fall tournament record of 7-2. Taryn Bowen and Katherine Martin add depth to the squad. Bowen, from Columbus, was the No. 1 singles player on Upper Arlington High School’s No. 11-ranked varsity squad. Martin was the Big-9 Conference Player of the Year as a senior.
1998-99: A Season of Firsts
The Buckeyes had many accomplishments in their record-setting season last year:
• Had for the first time Kristy Dascoli and Briana Harris both qualify for the National Clay Courts and the All-American Championship.
• Garnered the highest ranking in school history when the squad peaked at No. 26.
• Defeated Michigan, 4-3, which was a first since 1989 and also captured a win over Indiana, 4-3, a first since 1978 in the dual season.
• Recorded the second highest most wins in school history with a 14-11 overall mark.
• Tied the most wins ever in the Big Ten for an OSU squad with six wins.
• Had Kristy Dascoli become the first women’s tennis player to receive All-Big Ten honors back-to-back.
• Had Chuck Merzbacher named as the 1999 Big Ten Coach of the Year, a first ever by a women’s tennis coach.
• For the first time ever, an Ohio State women’s tennis team, singles player and doubles team all qualified for the NCAA tournament in the same year.
New Assistant
Dr. David Andrews has joined the OSU women’s tennis staff as a volunteer assistant coach. He is an active member and regular speaker at regional and national conventions of the United States Professional Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association. Andrews has worked with high school and college players, parents and coaches for the past 10 years, focusing on creating healthy and productive environments for competition. He is Dean of the College of Human Ecology and Professor of Human Development at Ohio State.
