Women’s Tennis Ready for Spring Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 20, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s tennis team begins its spring season with dual matches at home against Illinois State and Akron on Saturday in the Jesse Owens West Recreation Center at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
Scouting Illinois State
The Buckeyes and Redbirds face off to open the season for the second-consecutive season. Last year the Redbirds compiled a record of 18-11 overall and were 5-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Senior Larissa Fostiak led the team in the fall with a mark of 9-6. The doubles duo of Brigette Zarazee and Kress Shores compiled a record of 9-4, playing mainly at No. 3 (8-1). Chris Hoover is in his sixth season as head coach of the Redbirds. The squad has had a winning record in each of his five seasons at the school.
Scouting Akron
The Zips will open their spring season at Ohio State. Last season the squad was 14-15 overall and 3-6 in the Mid American Conference. Akron’s win total overall and in the MAC were was the most since joining the conference. Becky Schrager returns this season after compiling 22 singles wins last season. Arianna Rojas-Serpas, last year’s most improved player, is also back for the Redbirds. The squad is under the direction of first-year head coach Tony Fox, who served as the head coach at Siena for the past three seasons.
The Series vs. Illinois State and Akron
The Buckeyes are undefeated all-time against both of the teams they will face on Saturday. Ohio State is 1-0 against Akron, while it is 3-0 against Illinois State.
Buckeyes Nationally Ranked
After reaching the final at the ITA Midwest Regional, Kristy Dascoli moved up in the national rankings from No. 50 to No. 39, the highest singles ranking in program history. Dascoli and partner Briana Harris are rated No. 33 in the nation in doubles, while sophomore Michelle Matko received her first national ranking, No. 100 (tied), after going 8-3 in the fall.
Regionally Ranked Buckeyes
In addition to her national ranking, Dascoli is ranked No. 2 in the Midwest Region in singles and in doubles with Harris. The doubles duo of Monica Rincon and Claudia Castro is ranked No. 15, while Rincon is rated No. 17 in singles. Matko and Sadhaf Pervez are also rated in the Top 30 in the region, with rankings of No. 19 and No. 26, respectively.
The Team Rankings
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 38 in the national rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Dec. 7. The squad is rated No. 3 (tied) in the Midwest Region by the ITA, the highest-ever such ranking in program history. Including Ohio State, eight of the Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 75: Northwestern, 20th, Iowa, 36th, Illinois, 40th, Wisconsin, 50th, Indiana, 55th, Minnesota, 57th and Michigan, 74th.
Standout Fall Records
Pervez had the Buckeyes’ best record of the fall, going 12-4 to lead the squad. Rincon was right behind with an 11-5 mark, while Dascoli was 10-5. In doubles, Rincon and Castro had the best record at 8-4, followed by Dascoli and Harris at 5-5.
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.
Tough Schedule Ahead
The No. 38-ranked Buckeyes will face five teams ranked in the Top 25 in the country at the end of the fall season: No. 4 Duke, No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 20 Northwestern and No. 25 Marquette.
Claiming Titles
Castro, Pervez and Matko all won singles crowns at tournaments in the fall. Castro was the winner of Flight #3 at the Hoosier Classic Invitational, while Matko claimed the Flight A title at the event. Matko also won the singles consolation title at the ITA Midwest Regional.
A New Buckeye for 2000-01
Merzbacher announced the signing of Lindsay Williams, from Beverly Hills, Mich., to a national letter of intent to play for the Buckeyes beginning in the 2000-01 season. Williams was a state finalist as a senior at Birmingham Groves High School. She is a four-time all-state honoree and a four-time team MVP. She compiled an overall record of 86-7 throughout her high school career and was a four-time regional and three-time league champion.
“As one of the most highly recruited players in the Midwest this year, we expect Lindsay to come in and be a big part of what we’re doing here at Ohio State,” Merzbacher said. “Her love and enthusiasm for Ohio State will have a positive effect on everyone around her.”
NATIONAL COMPETITORS
Six Buckeyes participated in one or both of the first two legs of the ITA collegiate grand slam this fall. At the T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Tennis Clay Court Championships, Dascoli and Matko competed in qualifying, while Harris, Castro, Rincon and Maloney were entered in the prequalifying draw. Dascoli and Harris participated in the doubles main draw. Dascoli had a strong tournament, winning her three qualifying matches to advance to the main draw.
At the Riviera Women’s All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Matko and Harris competed in the prequalifying draw and Dascoli was entered in qualifying . Dascoli and Harris again competed in the doubles main draw.
The ITA Midwest Regional
As the host of the ITA Midwest Regional, the Buckeyes had a successful tournament, as many different players won three or more matches. Ohio State was led by Dascoli, who reached the singles final before falling to Northwestern’s Katherine Nasser in three sets. No. 3-seed Dascoli defeated then-No. 7 Michelle Dasso of Notre Dame, the No. 1-seed, in three sets in the semifinal round. As a singles finalist, Dascoli claimed a berth in the 2000 Rolex National Indoor Championships, the third leg of the ITA Grand Slam, to be held Feb. 3-6 in Dallas. Dascoli paired up with Harris to reach the semifinal of the doubles championship. Matko won five matches to claim the singles consolation crown, defeating Lia Jackson of Northwestern in three sets in the semifinal round before winning the final by default. Rincon, after winning three qualifying matches, won three matches in the main draw before falling to Dasso, the top seed.
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.
The Newest Buckeyes
Merzbacher 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.
Keep Up with the Buckeyes
Information on the Buckeyes’ women’s tennis team is available on-line at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Match recaps are posted following each contest and releases are posted on a weekly basis. Information on Ohio State’s 34 other varsity sports is also available.
–GO BUCKS!!–
