Men’s Tennis Opens Fall Slate At ITA All-Americans – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Oct. 9, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio– The Ohio State men’s tennis team opened its fall schedule over the weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championships at Stone Mountain, Ga. Three members of the team remain following the completion of the pre-qualification rounds.%^$
Adrian Bohane opens singles play in the qualifier Tuesday and Phil Metz and Jeremy Wurtzman begin qualifying doubles Wednesday. Both will play singles in the main draw beginning Thursday.%^$
%^$SUPER SUMMER FOR METZ
%^$Metz worked to improve his game over the summer as a member of the USA College Summer Team and came away with a 14-4 record and a world ranking. Metz trained with some of the top American players in the collegiate ranks and entered several United States Tennis Association (USTA) futures tournaments throughout the summer.%^$
At the USTA/Ursula Beck Tennis Classic in Decatur, Ill., Aug. 8, Metz defeated Raven Klassen of South Africa, 6-3, 6-0, in the first round of the futures event to earn an ATP point and a world ranking of No. 1,325. He also won a first round match at the Lewis and Clark College 2001 USTA Men’s Futures event Aug. 13 to earn his second point. He is currently ranked No. 1,292.%^$
%^$MORE ON METZ
%^$Before the sensational summer Metz put together, he garnered the attention of collegiate players and coaches in the region. He was awarded with the ITA’s Region IV Player to Watch meaning coaches feel he has what it takes to win tournaments and make a name for himself at the professional level. Metz also capped his sophomore campaign with his first selection to the All-Big Ten team and a berth in the NCAA Singles tournament. He advanced to the second round before falling to Ramsey Smith of Duke, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.%^$
%^$TUCKER ENTERS THIRD YEAR
%^$Ty Tucker enters his third season as the head coach of the Buckeye tennis program and is coming off a campaign in which the Buckeyes made their second-consecutive NCAA appearance, captured the championship of the Big Ten tournament and saw Tucker tabbed as the conference coach of the year. Tucker served as an assistant under John Daly for two years (1997-99) in which the Buckeyes went without a win in conference play. Since taking the reigns at OSU, Tucker’s squads have gone 39-15 overall with a 14-6 mark in the Big Ten.%^$
%^$NEW FACES IN THE CROWD
%^$Several new faces join the 2001-02 roster for the Buckeyes this year including two transfers from one of the premier tennis conferences, the Southeastern (SEC). Wurtzman and Conor Casey come to Columbus from the University of Florida and the University of Mississippi, respectively.%^$
Also joining the squad are three freshmen. Kevin McLean comes to the Buckeye State from Vancouver and Joe Smeeton and Paul Warkentin hail from Wilmette, Ill., and Santa Barbara, Calif., respectively.%^$
%^$COACHING STAFF GROWS
%^$Tucker also has added a new face to his coaching staff with the addition of Chris Porter as the undergraduate assistant. Porter, a member of the Buckeyes from 1997-01, posted a career mark of 106-58 in singles and is one of four former OSU players to reach the 100-win plateau. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Porter will be responsible for helping singles players make a transition to the doubles game.%^$
%^$SCOUTING REPORT: ITA ALL-AMERICAN
%^$The ITA All-American Championships are the first of three national championship tournaments in the collegiate season and are be played at the Lincoln Tennis Center at Stone Mountain, Ga. There are three draws in the event which consist of five rounds in the pre-qualifiers, two rounds in the qualifiers and six rounds of the main draw for singles. The doubles draws are four, two, and five rounds for the pre-qualifiers, qualifiers and main draw, respectively.%^$
%^$THE COMPETITION
%^$The tournament features 256 singles contestants and 128 doubles teams from every conference and region in the United States. All of the top players in the nation will compete in the event.%^$
%^$…AND IN THIS CORNER
%^$Nine of Ohio State’s 10 players will see action in the tournament. Several players have already played in Georgia but fell in the opening rounds of the pre-qualifying tournament. A list of the Buckeyes entered into the event and how they fared follows.%^$
%^$
Pre-Qualifier Singles:%^$Conor Casey%^$Erick Graves (Morehouse) W 4-6, 6-2, 6-2%^$Julien Gillet (S. Alabama) W 6-4, 6-4%^$Simon Rea (Tennessee) L 6-3, 4-6, 6-2%^$
%^$Brenton Contini%^$Yorke Allen (Duke) L 6-3, 6-2%^$
%^$Ben Kirksey%^$Nicholas Monroe (N. Car.) L 7-5, 6-3%^$
%^$Kevin McLean%^$Tony Mule (UNC-Greens.) L 6-3, 6-2%^$
%^$Vincent Ng%^$Tony Epkey (W.Virginia) W 6-1, 6-1%^$Scott Green (Wisconsin) W 6-3, 6-1%^$Dustin Taylor (Tulsa) L 6-3, 6-4%^$
%^$Paul Warkentin%^$Chris Brandi (TCU) L 6-3, 6-4%^$
%^$Pre-Qualifier Doubles:%^$Adrian Bohane/McLean%^$Gaughan/Netzler (Furman) L 8-5%^$
%^$Casey/Contini%^$Bye (First Round)%^$Jackson/Lockin (Michigan) L 8-5%^$
%^$Ng/Warkentin%^$Bye (First Round)%^$Hunter/Knepper (Colorado) W 8-6%^$Menano/Moros (Georgia Tech) L 8-5%^$
%^$Qualifier Singles%^$Bohane%^$vs. Hamid Mirzadeh (Florida) Tues.%^$
%^$Qualifier Doubles%^$No. 35 Metz/Wurtzman%^$vs. Brendon/Lowenthal (Wake Forest) Wed.%^$
%^$Main Draw Singles%^$No. 12 Phillip Metz%^$First Round Opponent TBA%^$
%^$No. 35 Jeremy Wurtzman%^$First Round Opponent TBA%^$
%^$MOVING ON UP
%^$After posting a 25-4 overall record (8-2 Big Ten) a year ago, the Buckeyes have shown the collegiate tennis world it is ready to assume a spot in the national spotlight. OSU finished the year ranked No. 22 and boasted the No. 26 player in the nation, Metz. The Buckeyes did rise to No. 16 in the March 28, 2001 ITA polls, the highest ranking for an OSU team in program history.%^$
Though the team lost four key starters, the Buckeyes have added experience to the lineup in the hopes of remaining in the Top 25. Metz is No. 12 and Wurtzman is No. 35 in singles and the duo rank No. 35 in the doubles rankings.%^$
%^$ON THE DEFENSIVE
%^$With the start of the new season, the Buckeyes will have a lot to defend. OSU won 10-of-12 home matches a year ago and will have another tough slate in Columbus with SEC powers Vanderbilt and Alabama visiting. Also making the trip to the OSU will be Indiana State and Virginia Tech, two teams that finished in the Top 50 a year ago.%^$
The larger defensive task will come April 25-28 at the Stickney Tennis Center when the Buckeyes try to win their second-consecutive Big Ten tournament championship.%^$
%^$A LOOK BACK: 2000-01
%^$OSU went 25-4 (8-2 Big Ten) and finished second in the conference behind perennial power Illinois. The Buckeyes strung together three-consecutive wins in as many days, all 4-2 victories, to capture the Big Ten tournament championship. The win over Illinois in the final snapped its 52-consecutive match win streak in conference and gave OSU its first championship since 1990-91.%^$
%^$HONORS
%^$Metz had some company on the awards stand last year. Along with being with the Region IV player to watch, Metz joined Porter as an All-Big Ten selection. Tucker also garnered an award, the Big Ten coach of the year.%^$
Wurtzman also secured honors for himself a year ago while playing for Florida. He was selected to the All-SEC Second Team and was an alternate in the south region as a freshman.%^$
%^$RECORD SEASON
%^$Three matches into the 2000-01 season, OSU was 2-1 following a 5-2 loss to Notre Dame. The Buckeyes rebounded from the defeat with a school-record 16-consecutive match win streak. OSU also added its name to a few other records as a team including the most wins over conference opponents with 11 (eight in the regular season and three in the Big Ten tournament), the second-most overall wins with 25 and the best winning percentage (.862) in the modern era.%^$
%^$INDIVIDUAL MERIT
%^$Several Buckeyes etched their names in the record books a year ago. Derek DeFalco, for the second-consecutive year, tied the top mark of 30 doubles wins and playing partner Bob Wellstein was fourth with 28. For their doubles careers, DeFalco (78 wins) and Wellstein (63) won the third-most and 11th-most matches, respectively, in school history.%^$
In singles, Metz (37) ranked third, Vincent Ng (33) sixth and Porter (31) eighth in single season wins.%^$
%^$QUICK HIT: ITA REGION IV PREVIEW
%^$Metz and Ng are the only Buckeyes returning to the Region IV event. Casey and Wurtzman competed in the Region III tournament last year.%^$
Ng advanced to the third round of singles play before falling and Metz advanced to the quarterfinals. Metz will be the top contender at the event according to the preseason national rankings. At No. 12, Metz is the highest ranked player among Region IV competitors ahead of Minnesota’s No. 22 Harsh Mankad. Wurtzman is the sixth-highest ranked player at No. 35.%^$
%^$NEXT TIME OUT
%^$Ohio State will head north to East Lansing, Mich., for the ITA Region IV Indoor Championships, Oct. 26-29. The tournament will crown a champion in both singles and doubles and will provide admittance to the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships Nov. 8-11 in Dallas, Texas.
