Women’s Tennis Travels to Face Top Teams – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 6, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) stay on the road and face two consecutive Top 25 teams. The squad will go up against No. 21 Kentucky on Friday in Lexington, Ky., before traveling to Knoxville, Tenn. to face Tennessee the next day.
Scouting Kentucky
The Wildcats come into the match with a record of 5-4 and are ranked No. 21 by the ITA. The squad is led by junior No. 55 Brooke Skeen, the only upperclassman on the roster. The Wildcats have two ranked doubles teams, as Skeen and Leigh Bradwell are No. 25 and the tandem of Carolina Mayorga and Sara Witten is ranked No. 27. The team finished last season ranked No. 22 and tied for fourth place in the Southeastern Conference. The squad will face No. 16 Vanderbilt at home on Tuesday before hosting the Buckeyes.
The UK Coach
Mark Guilbeau is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats. Last year he led the squad to fourth place in the SEC, the team’s highest finish since 1994. Prior to joining the Kentucky staff, Guilbeau spent five seasons as an assistant at Georgia.
UK vs. OSU
Last season the Buckeyes topped the Wildcats, 5-4, in Columbus to tie the all-time series, 4-4. In 1998, the Wildcats defeated the Buckeyes, 7-2, in Lexington, Ky.
Scouting Tennessee
The Lady Vols are ranked No. 18 and have a mark of 8-5 this spring. The team is led by Alison Ojeda, who is ranked No. 59 (tied) and is 7-6 at No. 1 this spring. Vilmarie Castellvi is strong at No. 2 with a mark of 7-6 this spring. Agnes Wiski is 7-6 at No. 3 in the spring. Ojeda and Meiling Parks lead the squad with 14 overall wins each. Castellvi and Ojeda play at No. 1 doubles for the Lady Vols, while Candy Reid and Wiski are 8-3 at No. 2. Last season the team was 18-8 overall and 6-7 in the Southeastern Conference. They ended the season ranked 14th by the ITA.
The UT Coaches
The Lady Vols are led by co-coaches Mike Patrick and Sonia Hahn-Patrick. Patrick, the all-time winningest coach for the Lady Vols (205-131), is in his 13th season at the helm, while Hahn-Patrick is in her third campaign. Patrick earned Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors after guiding UT to a mark of 18-8.
OSU vs. UT
Last season the then-No. 59 Buckeyes fell to the then-No. 26 Lady Vols, 5-4, in Columbus on Jan. 31. Since 1985, the squads have met four times, with UT winning each match.
Highest Ranking in History
Dascoli was ranked No. 36 (tied) in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (March 1). Her ranking is the highest-ever for a singles player in program history, topping her previous high of 39 set earlier this season. Dascoli is currently 15-9 overall this season, including a mark of 5-2 at No. 1 singles this spring. She has a career singles record of 59-32 and is the first-ever Buckeye to earn back-to-back all-Big Ten honors. Dascoli was also the first OSU player to ever qualify for the NCAA singles tournament, a feat she has accomplished in each of the last two seasons.
Rincon Stays Perfect
Monica Rincon improved her record this spring to a perfect 8-0 with a win at No. 2 over Notre Dame. She defeated UND’s Becky Varnum in three sets, her third three-set win of the spring.
The Buckeyes’ 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 176-103, while his mark at OSU has improved to 43-40.
Challenging Road Ahead
This weekend’s matches are part of seven-consecutive road matches for the Buckeyes. All seven opponents on the road swing are ranked in the Top 75 by the ITA.
The Wins Leader
Rincon continues to lead the Buckeyes in wins with a mark of 19-5 overall this season. Pervez is second with 17 wins and Dascoli is third with 15 victories.
Facing the Ranked
The Buckeyes are 3-2 this season against ranked opponents. The squad has recorded wins over No. 25 Marquette (5-4), No. 41 Kansas (7-2) and No. 60 Minnesota (4-3) but has lost to No. 5 Duke (4-3) and No. 15 Notre Dame (8-1). Last year, the team was 3-9 over ranked opponents, including a mark of 1-6 against teams in the national Top 25.
Playing in the Sun
After beginning the season with nine indoor matches, the Buckeyes are scheduled to play outdoors against both Kentucky and Tennessee. Last year the squad was 3-7 when playing outside.
OSU’s Last Outing
The No. 33 Ohio State women’s tennis team fell to No. 15 Notre Dame, 8-1, Thursday at Laurel Hill Tennis Club in Toledo, Ohio. The Buckeyes claimed one singles victory and were swept in doubles.
The Singles Record Book
With a career singles record of 59-32, Dascoli needs three more wins to move into a tie for eighth place in all-time career singles wins (62). The all-time leader is Maria Olazagatsti, who compiled a record of 81-20 from 1977-79.
The National Team Rankings
The Buckeyes are ranked 33rd in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (March 1). The Buckeyes have 349 points, only 57 behind No. 25 Mississippi. The next team rankings will be released Wednesday.
Winning in Three
The Buckeyes have a 9-4 record in three-set matches this spring. Pervez has played the most four-set matches, going 2-2 in those contests.
Leading the Way in Doubles
Overall, Rincon has also compiled the most doubles wins for the squad, with a record of 14-6 this year. Castro ranks second with a 12-8 mark, while Dascoli and Pervez have both compiled records of 11-7.
The Single-Season Record
For the second-consecutive season, Rincon is approaching the Top 10 for season singles wins. Her mark of 13-10 last year ranks ninth all-time in program history. Maria Olazagatsti holds the record for most singles wins in a season with 29 in 1977, while Kristen Jordan has the most wins (27 in 1997) since the NCAA limited the number of competitive dates to 25 in 1992. Rincon needs three more wins to tie for 10th place on the list with 22.
Standout Freshman
Pervez has stepped right into the lineup for the Buckeyes, posting a 17-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark at mainly the No. 4 singles position. She also teams with Laura Maloney to form a strong No. 3 doubles combination.
Staying Competitive
The Buckeyes have not been shutout since a 9-0 loss to Duke, Feb. 13, 1999. Since Merzbacher took over the program, the squad has only failed to win at least one match only three times. Ohio State was not shutout in any matches in 1998 and only suffered two blankings in 1997, Merzbacher’s first season with the team.
Counting on Doubles
The Buckeyes have been strong in doubles this season, as they have only lost more than one doubles match three times this spring. All three of those matches were against teams ranked in the Top 25 (Marquette, Duke and Notre Dame). The team has recorded 7-2 marks at both No. 1 and No. 3 doubles this season.
Striving for 20
Sophomores Rincon and Matko both seem to be on their way to their second-consecutive 20-win seasons. Last season Rincon was first on the team with a 23-13 record, just edging Matko’s mark of 21-12. So far this season Rincon is 19-5 overall, while Matko is 17-8.
The Records Overall
As a team, the Buckeyes have recorded an overall singles mark of 99-63 this season, while they have gone 37-23 in doubles. The squad is 38-19 in singles and 19-8 in doubles through nine dual matches this spring.
Strong at the Top
The Buckeyes have recorded a mark of 22-5 at the top three spots, while the squad is 14-12 in the bottom half of the lineup.
No. 1: 7-2
No. 2: 9-0
No. 3: 6-3
No. 4: 5-4
No. 5: 5-4
No. 6: 5-4
The Big Ten is Tough
Including Ohio State, nine of the Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 75: Northwestern, 12th, Iowa, 36th, Illinois, 44th, Wisconsin, 59th, Indiana, 38th, Minnesota, 60th, Purdue, 54th, and Michigan, 58th.
