Dascoli Making History at NCAA Singles Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – There are eight women’s tennis players vying for a national title at the NCAA Singles Championships at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Ga. For the first time in history one of them is an Ohio State Buckeye. Kristy Dascoli (Sr., Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Academy) added another line to her already impressive resume when she staged her third upset of the tournament. She played second and third-round matches Wednesday, winning both to become the first player in the history of the program to advance to the round of eight. She defeated No. 22-ranked Anna Monhartova of Tulane in the morning and then returned to the courts in the afternoon to drop No. 15 Julie Ditty of Vanderbilt.%^$
%^$
No. 27-ranked Dascoli never looked back as she dismissed Monhartova, 6-2, 7-6, in the second round. In the afternoon match Ditty and Dascoli split the first two sets before the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year rebounded to win the third set etching her mark in history. Dascoli defeated Ditty, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The win was Dascoli’s 31st of the season, making her OSU’s new single season record holder for wins. She broke the previous record of 30 that Monica Rincon (Jr., Lapeer, Mich./West.) set last season.%^$
%^$
Dascoli, OSU’s all-time wins leader with 104, will face No. 3 Michelle Dasso of Notre Dame at 10 a.m. Thursday. Dasso defeated No. 11 Kristina Kraszewski of Washington, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, to advance. Dascoli is the only unseeded player remaining in the competition.%^$
%^$
Dascoli and Dasso have met twice this year with Dasso coming out with victories both times. November 11, 2000 the two squared off in the finals of the ITA Midwest Regional. Dasso prevailed, 6-2, 7-6 (6). The two met again March 3 in Columbus with Dasso winning, 6-2, 6-4.%^$
%^$
Yesterday, Dascoli dropped No. 24 Alison Ojeda of Tennessee, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.%^$
%^$
In the national singles tournament, Dascoli now stands at 4-3 for her career. Last year Dascoli met Stanford’s Teryn Ashley in the first round falling, 6-4, 6-2. In the 1999 championships Aarthi Vankatesan of Georgia defeated Dascoli, 6-3, 6-0, in the first round. Her first win came in 1998 when she breezed through the first round with a convincing, 6-1, 6-3, win over Harvard’s Ivy Wang. Dascoli dropped her second round match to Stanford’s Julie Scott, 6-0, 6-2.
