2001 Women’s Tennis Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 29, 2001
%^$Last season the Ohio State women’s tennis team pieced together 17 wins – second most in program history – and made the NCAA Tournament for the third-consecutive year, but something was missing. The Buckeyes were plagued by a crucial, season-ending injury to one of their young stars and suffered three one-point losses. After placing third in the Big Ten and falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament there was a sense of disappointment surrounding the team. A feeling head coach Chuck Merzbacher does not hope to have again this season.%^$
%^$”Last year was a year where we maintained the excellence of the program, but we want to shoot higher,” Merzbacher said. “The injury to Michelle Matko was not devastating but it definitely affected how far we could go as far as the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. I was really proud of how the team held everything together, got third in the Big Ten and we had two All-Americans. The team was pleased but not satisfied. After we finished the year they were thinking, ‘Hey, next year we have a lot to prove.’ The program now is at a point where we want to do more than just make the (NCAA) tournament. We want to be in contention for the conference title and we want to go deep into the tournament.”%^$
%^$Merzbacher must replace two seniors – All-American Kristy Dascoli and Laura Maloney – but the sixth-year coach likes the mix of players he has to work with. The Buckeyes get Matko back this year, brought in a talented transfer and have two bright freshmen joining a squad already loaded with talent. It will allow Merzbacher to dig a little bit deeper than in years past.%^$
%^$”In my five years here we will have the most players – the most depth – than we have ever had,” Merzbacher said. “That will be our strength and our overall team will be stronger than we were last year. We really have a lot of new players that are going to affect the lineup.”%^$
%^$Last season, the Buckeyes finished 17-11 overall and were 7-3 in conference play. OSU advanced the team, a singles player and a doubles tandem to the NCAA Tournament for the third-consecutive year. In the NCAAs the Buckeyes fell, 4-3, to No. 32 Mississippi State in the first round. Kristy Dascoli advanced to the quarterfinals of the singles draw and teamed with returnee Monica Rincon to advance to the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket. Both were named to the All-America team – the first in program history.%^$
%^$All-American Returnee
%^$Two-time All-Big Ten honoree Monica Rincon will be looked upon to lead the Buckeyes this season. Rincon, who was named an All-American last season, has played No. 2 singles the past two years. She has racked up an impressive 75 career singles wins and showed flashes of brilliance last season winning, nine matches in a row at one point.%^$
%^$”Monica Rincon can play with anybody in the country,” Merzbacher said. “She has beaten players in the NCAA tournament, is an All-American and is one of the elite players in the country. She is ready for this and really wants to take the No. 1 spot and see what she can do.”%^$
%^$Rincon finished last year with a 23-12 singles record and a 30-17 doubles mark. She left her signature at the NCAA doubles tournament by storming into the quarterfinals with Dascoli before falling to the No. 1-ranked duo from Stanford. The OSU tandem was unranked and unseeded, but forged through two rounds of the tournament, upsetting the Nos. 7 and 26 teams in the nation.%^$
%^$Back for the Buckeyes
%^$After red-shirting last year because of a knee injury Michelle Matko rejoins the squad for competitive play with two years of eligibility remaining. Matko amassed a 50-24 record in her first two seasons with the Buckeyes and was 3-1 last year before red-shirting. Her return adds to the great amount of depth Merzbacher has to tinker with.%^$
%^$”I am really excited to see Michelle comeback,” Merzbacher said. “It was a frustrating year with her injury because she is a very good player. Her timing and groundstrokes are as good as they come. She has two more years to see how far she can go and it is going to be exciting for her. She is going to push for the top spot.”%^$
%^$Claudia Castro completes the senior class. She was 12-13 last year.%^$
%^$”Having three years of experience should really help her,” Merzbacher said. “She is stepping up and hitting the ball a lot harder and is in great shape. Claudia does not miss any practices and has always been there for the team and is just a great person. You have to have people like that.”%^$
%^$The junior class is comprised of Sadhaf Pervez, Taryn Bowen and Katherine Martin.%^$
%^$The fiery Pervez is 51-29 for her career after going 24-15 last season. Merzbacher depends on her to get the team ready to play.%^$
%^$”She is the heart and soul when she plays,” Merzbacher said. “Her enthusiasm carries over to everybody. Sadhaf is on a mission. She can do more with the ball than anybody on our team – she has got it all. Sadhaf refuses to lose. She has a big game and has a lot of options where she hits the ball that a lot of players don’t have.”%^$
%^$Bowen was 6-3 and Martin was 6-2 last year.%^$
%^$”Both add depth to the lineup,” Merzbacher said. “We are fortunate to have them on the team because you never know what might happen. It is great to have a lot of practice partners and to be able to mix things up. They are good enough to go up against our No. 1, but just lack some match play.”%^$
%^$Erica Fisk and Lindsay Williams represent the sophomore class. Fisk was one of four Buckeyes to reach the 20-win plateau last year. She finished 23-18 and was tied for third on the team for wins.%^$
%^$”Erica is one of our best athletes,” Merzbacher said. “She has power and has worked on being more consistent and has improved her volleys. She is the future at the top of our lineup.”%^$
%^$Williams was 14-9 last season, but came on strong during the Big Ten schedule where she was 5-3. She missed the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament because of a nagging hip injury.%^$
%^$”Lindsay is a question mark in a positive way,” Merzbacher said. “She could play at the top of the lineup if she wanted too. She has a really big game and is really strong off the baseline. Lindsay can come in and make a huge difference in how good we can be.”%^$
%^$The Newcomers
%^$Joining the Buckeye squad this season are sophomore transfer Meaghan Colville and freshmen Lindsey Adams and Lindsay Bryan. At Western Michigan Colville finished ranked No. 3 in doubles in the Midwest Region behind Rincon and Dascoli. She finished 28-10 in doubles and was undefeated in MAC play in singles.%^$
%^$”Meaghan is probably going to be one of our top doubles players,” Merzbacher said. “We are fortunate she is coming. She is very athletic and that gives her the opportunity to improve. Some people are just tennis players, but in her you combine a tennis player with a lot of athletic ability. Her limits are endless.”%^$
%^$Adams finished third in the Washington State High School 3A Tournament. She won the state doubles championship her freshman and sophomore years and was named MVP her junior and senior seasons.%^$
%^$”Lindsey Adams is a very aggressive player who really puts some heat on people,” Merzbacher said. “If she can get some consistency going she is going to be a really good player.”%^$
%^$Bryan was crowned the 4A Louisiana State Champion last season and was a four-year starter. She has been ranked as high as 60th in the nation and finished the season No. 7 in the tennis-laden south.%^$
%^$”Lindsay Bryan will not beat herself,” Merzbacher said. “She is a very tough left-handed player and comes from a great tennis background. She is really smart on the court and will be very tough to beat.”%^$
%^$The Schedule
%^$The Buckeyes face a difficult dual meet schedule. Conference play is always challenging, but this year the Buckeyes face tough non-conference squads in Notre Dame, and Kentucky.%^$
