No. 22 Women’s Tennis Opens Big Ten Play – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 26, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 22 women’s tennis team begins a stretch of three matches in three days against tough competition. Friday OSU hosts No. 43 Minnesota at 2 p.m. The Gophers knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten tournament last year. Sunday, OSU will renew what has become quite a rivalry in women’s tennis when it faces the No. 6 Irish of Notre Dame at 1p.m. There is no rest for the weary as Wisconsin comes to town Sunday for an early 11 a.m. match.%^$
%^$OSU has not fared well against the Gophers, compiling an all-time 6-23 record, but last season the Buckeyes split a the two matches with the Gophers. OSU won the regular season match, but fell to the Gophers, 4-2, in the Big Ten Tournament.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes’ overall record with Notre Dame is 3-7 with the Irish winning the last five meetings, but OSU is looking to add another win to the victory column this year by hosting the No. 6 team in the nation.%^$
%^$OSU faces the Wisconsin Badgers Sunday. Wisconsin leads the overall series 26-4, but OSU won the meeting last year 5-2.%^$
%^$The National Rankings
%^$The Buckeyes are ranked 22nd in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (Feb. 21). As of Dec. 15, the squad is ranked No. 3 in the Midwest Region, behind only Notre Dame and Northwestern.%^$
%^$We’re All Here
%^$All eight student-athletes from last year’s NCAA-qualifying team have returned for the Buckeyes this season.%^$
%^$Leading the Buckeyes
%^$Kristy Dascoli (Sr., Bradenton, Fla.), the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, is back for her final season at first singles for the Buckeye squad. She led OSU in the fall with a 10-4 record and became OSU’s all-time leader in wins. She is ranked 31st in the nation.%^$
%^$Monica Rincon (Jr. Lapeer, Mich.) also had a strong fall season. Rincon, who was named the ITA Midwest Region Player to Watch at the end of last year, went 7-3, and teamed up with Dascoli in doubles to notch an 8-4 record. She set the program record for most singles wins in a season with 30 last year. She is ranked No. 88 in the nation and is off to a hot start with a 7-2 singles dual record.%^$
%^$Minnesota Golden Gophers
%^$The Gophers have had to deal with losing their top three singles players from last year. The new faces in the Gophers program have been getting the job done as they compiled a 4-1 record. Minnesota and OSU share one common opponent. The Buckeyes defeated Marquette 6-1 and so did Minnesota.%^$
%^$Notre Dame Fighting Irish
%^$The No. 6 Irish are off to one of the best starts in the history of the program. They are 10-2 and are seven wins away from tying their best start ever set in 1995-96.%^$
%^$Notre Dame is loaded with talent. They are led by senior All-American Michelle Dasso who is the No. 3 player in the nation. Dasso is not the only talented player on this squad. Junior Becky Varnum has been playing well at No. 2 singles and when she teams up with Dasso the two form the No. 7 team in the nation.%^$
%^$Wisconsin Badgers
%^$Wisonsin is 2-4 on the year, but the team records and the players individuals records are misconceiving. The Badgers have played some tough competition. All four of their losses have been to ranked teams.%^$
%^$At the Helm
%^$Coach Chuck Merzbacher (Minnesota, ’87), in his fifth season, has enjoyed much success since becoming the head man at OSU. He has compiled a 57-46 record, and has taken the Buckeyes from pretenders to contenders on the Big Ten and national stage. In Merzbacher’s first year, 1996-97, the team finished ninth in the Big Ten, but in only his fourth season the squad earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and finished third.%^$
%^$Off to a Fast Start
%^$Freshman Erica Fisk (Fr. Indianapolis, Ind.) is off to a great start at OSU. She has compiled a 16-8 record. In the fall she was 9-5 in tournament play and is 7-3 in spring dual action. Her 16 wins lead the team.%^$
%^$All in a Weeks Work
%^$Saturday is the best day of the week for the Buckeyes. A daily record breakdown follows.%^$
%^$
Sunday 1-0%^$Monday 0-0%^$Tuesday 0-0%^$Wednesday 0-0%^$Thursday 0-1%^$Friday 1-2%^$Saturday 5-0%^$
%^$Holding Serve
%^$OSU is almost unstoppable at home. With the two victories last Saturday, the Buckeyes have not lost a home match since the 1998-1999 season. During the span OSU has won 13 straight home matches.%^$
%^$OSU’s All-Time Leader
%^$Kristy Dascoli became OSU’s all-time record holder for singles wins when she recorded her 82nd career victory earlier this fall. She defeated Notre Dame’s Becky Varnum in the quarterfinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Nov. 5 for the record-setting win. Dascoli, who now owns a career mark of 86-43, broke the old OSU mark of 81 wins, held by Maria Olazagatsti (1977-79).%^$
%^$In the Win Column
%^$In 10 matches, OSU has squared off against six teams ranked nationally. The Buckeyes hold a 3-3 record against ranked teams. They defeated No. 8 UCLA (5-2), No. 62 Maryland (7-0) and No. 64 Marquette (6-1). OSU’s losses came to perennial powers No. 3 Duke and No. 7 Pepperdine. The Buckeyes also lost to No. 40 Oklahoma State.%^$
%^$Among the Nation’s Best
%^$Two Buckeyes are ranked nationally in singles in the ITA rankings. Kristy Dascoli is ranked No. 31 and Monica Rincon is No. 88.%^$
%^$In doubles, Dascoli and Rincon are No. 32.%^$
%^$The Best in the Region
%^$Regionally, four Buckeyes are ranked in singles, while two doubles teams are in the Top 10 in the Midwest Region. Kristy Dascoli is ranked second. Monica Rincon follows at No. 6. Freshman Erica Fisk is rated No. 18 and sophomore Sadhaf Pervez is No. 22. In doubles, Dascoli and Rincon are ranked second. The tandem of Pervez and Lindsay Williams holds the No. 9 spot. The duo has recorded wins over ranked teams in its last three outings. When they played together in the fall the duo defeated No. 30 Nasser/Cheng of Northwestern, No. 19 Embry/Taheny of Purdue and No. 32 Anderson/Blanch of Indiana.%^$
%^$The Big Ten Tourney
%^$This season, the Buckeyes have the honor of hosting the Big Ten Tennis Championships at the Stickney Tennis Center. All 11 conference schools will compete in the tournament, scheduled for April 26-29, 2001. The tournament champion receives the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.%^$
%^$The Big Ten is Tough
%^$Once again this season, the competition in the Big Ten will be tough, as nine conference teams, including No. 22 Ohio State, are ranked by the ITA. Other teams ranked in the ITA are: Northwestern (11), Illinois (26), Minnesota (43), Indiana (47), Iowa (48), Michigan (56), Purdue (71) and Penn State (72).%^$
%^$The Spring Schedule
%^$The Buckeyes face a number of strong opponents in the spring. In addition to the conference schools, the Buckeyes have seven other ranked programs, including three Top 20 teams, on their schedule. Ohio State will face No. 3 Duke, No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 15 Tennessee. Other ranked opponents include Kentucky (35), Maryland (62), Marquette (64) and UNLV (69).
