Women’s Tennis Season Comes to a Close – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
June 5, 2000
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 23 Buckeyes (18-8) put together the best season in program history, as they won the first Big Ten title, had a team, a singles player and a doubles player qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second-consecutive season, earned the highest ranking in program history and tied the school record for wins in a season.%^$
%^$The Final Team Rankings
%^$Ohio State ended the season ranked 23rd by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the second-highest ranking in program history. The Buckeyes, who never dropped below the 45th spot this season, reached their program high of No. 22 earlier this spring (April 26).%^$
%^$Consistency
%^$For the second-consecutive season, and the second time in program history, the Buckeyes had a team, singles player and doubles team advance to the NCAA Championships.%^$
%^$The NCAA Team Championship
%^$As a team, the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second-consecutive, and third ever, time this season. The squad posted a first-round victory over No. 35 Miami (Fla.), 5-2, before falling to No. 2 and eventual national champion Georgia in the second round, 5-0.%^$
%^$NCAA Singles
%^$Kristy Dascoli, the only Buckeye to ever qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship, extended her streak of appearances to three this season. She fell in the first round of this year’s tournament to Stanford’s No. 38-ranked Teryn Ashley (6-4, 6-2).%^$
%^$As a freshman in 1999, Dascoli posted a first-round win over Harvard’s Ivy Wang before falling in the second round to Stanford’s Julie Scott. Last season she was eliminated by Aarthi Venkatesan of Georgia in the first round.%^$
%^$NCAA Doubles
%^$The doubles tandem of Dascoli and Rincon was the third team in program history to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship. This season, the duo advanced to the second round after posting an upset win over the No. 8 tandem of Lucie Dvorakova and Daria Zoldakova of Texas Christian, a 5-8 seed in the tournament.%^$
%^$In 1992, Kelly Story and Abigail Villena fell in the first round of the tournament to Lane and Piorkowski of Boston College. Last season Dascoli and then-partner Briana Harris qualified for the championship, but fell in a close first-round match to No. 3 Webb and Goldstein of Duke in three sets.%^$
%^$Player of the Year
%^$Dascoli earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors for her outstanding play this season. She ranked second on the team with a mark of 29-11 and was a stellar 19-3 at No. 1 singles this spring. She also had a strong year in doubles, posting a mark of 24-11 overall and 20-6 in the spring. She is the only Buckeye to ever win the award.%^$
%^$A Player to Watch
%^$Rincon was named the Player to Watch in the Midwest Region. The award, given by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, goes to a player who has had an outstanding season, has not yet won an ITA Grand Slam singles title and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of her career. The criteria also include a player’s sportsmanship and character. The last Buckeye to receive the honor was Dascoli in 1998.%^$
%^$Dynamic Duo
%^$The Buckeyes’ No. 1 doubles tandem of Dascoli and Rincon moved to No. 17 in the final rankings released by the ITA after posting its first round upset over the then-No. 8-ranked team from TCU. Dascoli and Rincon’s previous high in the rankings was 20th. The duo was 20-6 this season and put together a 12-match winning streak that was ended in the second round of the NCAA tourney.%^$
%^$Topping the Chart
%^$Rincon set the all-time single-season singles victory record after winning in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan. Her 30 wins broke the previous record held by Maria Olazagatsti, who posted 29 victories in 1977.%^$
%^$The Buckeye Coach
%^$Chuck Merzbacher, the 1999 Big Ten Coach of the Year, completed his fourth year at the helm for the Buckeyes. He recorded his 50th victory at Ohio State earlier this spring. His record at OSU stands at 54-46, while he holds a mark of 187-109 in his career. In Merzbacher’s four seasons with the Buckeyes, the team has moved up quickly in the Big Ten, from ninth-place finishes in his first two seasons to sixth last year before claiming this year’s regular-season title.%^$
%^$The Big Ten Champions
%^$The Buckeyes, 18-8 overall, posted a stellar mark of 9-1 in the Big Ten during the regular season to claim the first Big Ten Title in program history. The Buckeyes’ previous high was a sixth-place finish, which the squad recorded last season. The nine conference victories were the most-ever in program history, breaking the mark of six set most recently in 1999. Eight of the nine Big Ten squads the Buckeyes defeated were ranked in the Top 75 at the time of the match. The team’s only conference loss was a 5-2 loss at Iowa at the end of OSU’s seven-match road swing.%^$
%^$Player of the Month
%^$Dascoli was named the Big Ten co-Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Month for April. (She shared the honor with Minnesota’s Kim Simonsen.) Dascoli was honored for putting together a then-12-match winning streak, including a perfect 7-0 mark in April. She was also undefeated in doubles during April, teaming up with Rincon to post a mark of 8-0 at No. 1.%^$
%^$Beating the Big Ten
%^$Dascoli has compiled a career mark of 27-3 against conference opponents since her freshman year. This season she was a perfect 9-0 against Big Ten foes in the regular season, while last year she was a stellar 10-1. She led conference No. 1 singles players in Big Ten wins during the regular season.%^$
%^$Leading the Way in Doubles
%^$Overall, Rincon compiled the most doubles wins for the squad, with a record of 28-10 this year. Dascoli ranked second with a mark of 29-11.%^$
%^$Moving Up in the Record Book
%^$With a career singles record of 73-34, Dascoli is in third place all-time on the career singles wins list. She needs six victories to move into second place and eight singles wins to become the program’s all-time leader. The current leader is Maria Olazagatsti, who compiled a record of 81-20 from 1977-79. Dascoli is currently in ninth place all-time on the career-doubles wins list with 67. The all-time leader in that category is Kelly Story, who went 118-60 from 1989-92.%^$
%^$A First
%^$The Buckeyes’ first round win over Miami in the NCAA Championship marked the first NCAA win in program history. The squad had suffered first-round losses in its first two times competing in the tournament.%^$
%^$In the Polls
%^$After earning the highest ranking in program history earlier this season, Dascoli broke her own mark in the singles rankings released by the ITA March 29. In that poll Dascoli was ranked No. 32 in the nation, topping her previous high of No. 36 (tied) set earlier this season. Dascoli ended the season ranked No. 47 in the nation.%^$
%^$Tough at Two
%^$Rincon led the Buckeyes in wins all spring. She ranked first on the team with an overall mark of 30-11 and was 8-2 against Big Ten opponents. She received her first national ranking earlier this season, reaching a high of No. 77.%^$
%^$Traveling A Hard Road
%^$Overall, the Buckeyes faced 16 teams that ended the season ranked in the Top 75 by the ITA. Among those teams, two are ranked in the Top 10 and four ended the season in the Top 20. Georgia, the Buckeyes’ last opponent, ended the season at the No. 1 spot after claiming the NCAA team title.%^$
%^$Tying the Record
%^$The Buckeyes’ 18 wins this season tied the program record for most wins in a season. The team tied the mark set in 1983, when that squad went 18-17 overall.%^$
%^$Winning Streaks
%^$The Buckeyes set a new program record with their nine-match winning streak. The team broke the old mark of six, set in 1987. This season’s streak was broken in the Buckeyes’ loss to Minnesota in the semifinals of the conference tournament.%^$
%^$The Big Ten Tournament
%^$After receiving a first-round bye, the Buckeyes won their quarterfinal match in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan, 4-1. The squad was then eliminated in the semifinals by Minnesota, 4-2. Minnesota went on to face Northwestern in the final match, which the Wildcats won to claim the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.%^$
%^$OSU vs. The Tourney Teams
%^$Ohio State faced 10 tournament-bound teams during the regular season, posting a mark of 4-7 in those matches. The Buckeyes recorded wins over Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana, while they were defeated by Duke, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Tennessee, San Diego State, Iowa and Minnesota.%^$
%^$The 20-Win Club
%^$This season, four Buckeyes reached the 20-win mark, while one even reached the 30-win plateau. Rincon led the squad with an overall record of 30-11, while Dascoli was right behind with a mark of 29-11. Pervez was 27-14 this season, while Matko was 26-11.%^$
%^$The National Team Rankings
%^$The Buckeyes received the highest ranking of the season, and in program history, in the April 26 rankings by the ITA.%^$
The Buckeyes’ rankings are as follows:%^$Fall 38%^$Feb. 2 35%^$Feb. 9 36%^$Feb. 16 33%^$Feb. 23 34%^$March 1 33%^$March 8 31%^$March 15 T34%^$March 22 31%^$March 29 45%^$April 5 40%^$April 12 25%^$April 19 27%^$April 26 22%^$May 1 26%^$May 10 26%^$June 1 23%^$
%^$The Rankings in the Big Ten
%^$Including Ohio State, eight of the Big Ten teams were ranked in the Top 75 at the end of the season: Northwestern, 15th, Ohio State, 23rd, Minnesota, 32nd, Illinois, 34th, Iowa, 45th, Indiana, 49th, Purdue, 56th and Michigan, 59th. Only Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin are not ranked.%^$
%^$Last Year’s Leaders
%^$Rincon and Matko, the only Buckeyes to reach 20 wins last season, each had strong seasons once again. Rincon led the team with an overall mark of 30-9, while Matko was 26-11. Rincon exceeded her win total from last season by seven, while Matko recorded 21 victories as a freshman. Each player was ranked by the ITA at some point this season.%^$
%^$The Big Ten is Tough
%^$In addition to the Buckeyes, six Big Ten teams were selected to participate in the NCAA team championships. Northwestern, who earned the Big Ten’s automatic bid, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois also competed in the first round of the tourney.%^$
%^$Getting Everyone Involved
%^$This season, each Buckeye was able to contribute to the team’s overall success. Every player on the roster had the opportunity to play at least 25 singles matches.%^$
%^$Defeating the State
%^$The Buckeyes were a perfect 3-0 against their in-state opponents this season. The team beat Akron, 9-0, Cincinnati, 8-1, and Miami (Ohio), 6-1.%^$
%^$Home Sweet Home
%^$The Buckeyes ended their home season a perfect 11-0 this season. With 11-consecutive home victories, the Buckeyes set program records for most home wins in a season and most consecutive home wins. The old mark of eight home wins was set in 1990 and tied in 1999, while the consecutive-wins at home record of six was also set in 1990 and tied in 1999.%^$
%^$Tough When It’s Close
%^$The Buckeyes were 4-2 in matches decided by one point this season. The squad defeated Marquette, 5-4, Minnesota, 4-3, Penn State, 4-3, and Indiana, 4-3. The team’s close losses were to No. 5 Duke, 5-4, and No. 21 Kentucky, 5-4.%^$
%^$The Regional Rankings
%^$The ITA will announce its final regional rankings Monday, June 5.%^$
%^$Keep Up with the Bucks
%^$Information, including final statistics and results, on the Buckeyes’ women’s tennis team is available on-line at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Information on Ohio State’s 35 other varsity sports is also available at the site.
