No. 21 Women’s Tennis Heads to Las Vegas – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 20, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 21 women’s tennis team, 9-5 on the year, has not played a match since March 10, but now finals are over and the Buckeyes are primed to finish the season on a strong note. They begin their conquest March 22 as they travel to Las Vegas to battle the Lady Rebels of UNLV at 4 p.m. EST.
The Series
Ohio State and UNLV have never met on the tennis courts, but OSU has faced three opponents from the Mountain West Conference. The Buckeyes are 0-3 to teams from the MWC, losing once to Utah, New Mexico and San Diego State.
The National Rankings
The Buckeyes are ranked 21st in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (March 9). 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 32nd 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. 97 in the nation and is off to a hot start with an 11-2 singles dual record.
Scouting UNLV
The Lady Rebels are 4-6, but have played some great teams this year. UNLV has faced Pepperdine, Florida International and Arizona State. The one common opponent OSU and UNLV share is Pepperdine. The Waves defeated both the Buckeyes and the Rebels 6-1.
UNLV is led by Paulina Janus, one of UNLV’s top recruits in the history of the program. The sophomore from Poland has compiled a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles and is ranked No. 1 in Poland’s 21-and-under division. She is ranked in the Top 50 by the International Tennis Federation.
Recapping Last Week
OSU played its last match March 10 and then took some time off so the student-athletes could prepare for finals. In the March 10 match against Tennessee, the Buckeyes were defeated 5-2, but Dascoli and Rincon posted impressive victories at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Dascoli dropped Alison Ojeda 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 and Rincon bested Kim Gates 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
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 63-51 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.
What a Recruiter
A player’s success is measured by how many tallies there are in the win column and ever since Merzbacher was hired five years ago the wins have been piling up. Four of the Top 10 season singles winners are on the squad this year and all of them were recruited by Merzbacher. The players, their records and years are as follows.
1. Monica Rincon 30-11 2000 2. Kristy Dascoli 29-11 2000 5. Sadhaf Pervez 27-14 2000 7. Michelle Matko 26-11 2000 10. Kristy Dascoli 25-10 1998
Rincon on a Roll
Monica Rincon has put together a tremendous winning streak. She has been victorious in her last seven matches and has not lost in over a month. During the streak she has displayed the grit and determination that makes a champion. Three of her seven went three sets and in all three cases Rincon had to battle back from losing the first set. Her last loss came to Paola Palencia of Pepperdine on February 15 during the ITA National Team Indoors. She is 18-5 and her winning percentage of .782 leads the team. (Mininum of 10 decisions)
Nine in a Row
With victories over Wisconsin and Minnesota (March 2 and 4) the Buckeyes have not lost a Big Ten regular season match in their last nine outings. OSU’s last loss in conference play was to Iowa last year.
Off to a Fast Start
Erica Fisk (Fr. Indianapolis, Ind.) is off to a great start at OSU. She has compiled an 18-10 record. In the fall she was 9-5 in tournament play and she is 9-5 in spring dual action. Her 18 wins tie her with Dascoli and Rincon to lead the team.
All in a Weeks Work
The Buckeyes are undefeated on Sunday, but over half of their wins have come on Saturday. A daily record breakdown follows.
Sunday 2-0 Monday 0-0 Tuesday 0-0 Wednesday 0-0 Thursday 0-1 Friday 2-2 Saturday 5-2
Holding Serve
OSU is almost unstoppable at home. The March 3 loss to Notre Dame was the Buckeyes’ first home loss since the 1998-1999 season when OSU dropped a 4-3 decision to Minnesota. Previously the Buckeyes had won 14-straight in Columbus.
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 91-44, broke the old OSU mark of 81 wins, held by Maria Olazagatsti (1977-79).
In the Win Column
In 14 matches, OSU has squared off against 10 teams ranked nationally. The Buckeyes hold a 5-5 record against ranked teams. They defeated No. 8 UCLA (5-2), No. 43 Minnesota, (7-0) No. 62 Maryland (7-0), No. 64 Marquette (6-1) and No. 75 Wisconsin (5-2). OSU’s losses came to perennial powers No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 7 Pepperdine and No. 14 Tennessee. 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. 32 and Monica Rincon is No. 97. In doubles, Dascoli and Rincon are No. 41.
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 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 10 conference teams, including No. 21 Ohio State, are ranked by the ITA. Other teams ranked in the ITA are: Northwestern (8), Illinois (23), Iowa (40), Indiana (41), Penn State (59), Minnesota (60), Michigan (62), Purdue (68) and Wisconsin (75).
The Spring Schedule
The Buckeyes face a number of strong opponents in the spring. In addition to the conference schools, the Buckeyes have nine other ranked programs, including five Top 20 teams, on their schedule. Ohio State has faced Duke (3), Notre Dame (5), Pepperdine (7), UCLA (8) Tennessee (14), Maryland (62) and Marquette (64). The Buckeyes will face No. 28 Kentucky and No. 75 UNLV.
Highlights of 1999-2000
In 1999-00, the Buckeyes were 18-8 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play. The team finished third in the Big Ten tournament after earning the No. 1 seed. The team qualified for the NCAA championships for the second-consecutive season in a row. In addition the team earned the highest ranking in program history (No. 22), tied the school record for wins in a season (18) and went undefeated (11-0) at home. Earned first post-season NCAA win by defeating Miami (Fla.).
Kristy Dascoli, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, qualified for the national tournament for the third consecutive season. She is the only player in OSU history to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Dascoli was undefeated in conference play during the regular season and was named the Big Ten Player of the Month for April. The senior complied an overall record of 29-11 and was 19-3 at No. 1 singles in the spring.
Monica Rincon partnered with Dascoli to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship. The duo ended the season ranked No. 18 after an an upset win in the first round. Rincon set a program record for most wins in a season (30). She ended the season ranked No. 9 in the Midwest Region.
