Women’s Tennis Ends Regular Season on the Road – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 20, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The women’s tennis team (16-7, 7-1 Big Ten) looks to close out the regular season with two road wins over highly ranked teams. Saturday OSU takes the court to battle No. 34 Illinois at 1 p.m. (EDT). OSU and No. 11 Northwestern meet at 1 p.m. (EDT) Sunday in the Buckeyes’last regular season match of the year. The Buckeyes enter this weekend second in the Big Ten tied with Illinois. Northwestern leads the conference at 8-0. The way these matches play out will help determine how the Buckeyes are seeded in the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament runs from April 26-29 and will be played at the Stickney Tennis Center in Columbus.
The Series
Illinois leads the overall series 18-8 with the Buckeyes and Northwestern has won 18 of the 22 matches with OSU.
The National Rankings
The Buckeyes are ranked 33rd in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (April 18). The squad is ranked No. 3 in the 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 is OSU’s all-time leader in wins and is ranked 33rd in the nation.
Monica Rincon (Jr. Lapeer, Mich.) was named the ITA Midwest Region Player to Watch at the end of last year. She set the program record for most singles wins in a season with 30 last year. She has an overall record of 21-10.
Scouting Illinois
The No. 34 Fighting Illini (13-6, 7-1 Big Ten) have been playing some great tennis this year. They are led by Jennifer McGaffigan. The freshman from Iowa is 28-14 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten at No. 1 singles. Simone Kung and Michelle Webb are also 7-1 in league play and Carla Rosenberg is 6-0 at No. 6 singles.
Scouting Northwestern
Not only is NU on top of the Big Ten standings, but it is also one of the best teams in the nation. They are No. 11 in the nation and have beaten No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 13 Baylor and No. 15 USC. The Wildcats are for real and leading them into action is Collen Chang. The senior is No. 40 in the nation and a perfect 8-0 in the Big Ten. NU has three other players undefeated in league play.
Recapping Last Time Out
April 15, the Buckeyes went indoors to the Jesse Owens West Recreation Center to bust out of a two-match losing streak. The Buckeyes dropped the Purdue Boilermakers, 5-2, in a marathon of a match that lasted a little over five hours. Sunday also was Senior Day for two Buckeyes. Kristy Dascoli and Laura Maloney (Barrington, Ill.) played their last regular-season home matches and both of them went out victorious. Dascoli, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, dominated Erika Quebe en route to a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles. She is now two wins shy of becoming the first female tennis player to reach the century mark in wins at OSU. Maloney followed suit as she downed Lisa Walgenbach at No. 5.
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 69-53 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.
Nearing 100
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Athlete of the Month for March Kristy Dascoli is two wins shy of 100 for her career. She has been victorious 25 times this year and would be the first OSU women’s tennis player to crack the century mark.
Pervez Putting it Together
Sadhaf Pervez has not lost in over three weeks and has an overall record of 22-12. She has won her last eight matches and is one of a handful of players to remain perfect in the Big Ten at 8-0. Her last loss was March 22 at UNLV. One of the highlights of her streak took place April 11 as Pervez dismissed No. 91 Brooke Skeen of Kentucky 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Pervez needs one more win to reach 50 fo rher career. In a little under two year the super sophomore is 49-26.
Williams Catching On
Lindsay Williams has competed in the last nine matches and now holds a dual record of 7-4. She is 5-1 in the Big Ten and her overall record is a respectable 13-7.
Double Trouble
The tandem of Sadhaf Pervez and Laura Maloney has been a consistent force for OSU at No. 2 doubles this spring. The duo has posted a team-best 16-6 dual match record. Two of those wins were recorded at the No. 1 spot.
Twenty Something
Four Buckeyes have reached the 20-win plateau this season. Dascoli leads the team in wins with 25, but Fisk and Pervez are not far behind with 22. Rincon follows with 21.
Dascoli Honored
Kristy Dascoli was recognized by the Big Ten for her stellar play as she was named Athlete of the Month for March. During the month she was 5-1 at No. 1 singles and 3-3 when she partnered with Rincon at No. 1 doubles.
A Milestone for Coach
Coach Merzbacher collected his 200th career win April 4 when OSU defeated Miami (Ohio). Seventy of his 203 wins have come at OSU. His first 50 wins were at Northern Illinois, where he coached for three years. He then garnered 83 victories in four years at Kansas. He has 69 wins under his belt as a Buckeye and nearly half of those wins (34) have come in less than a year and a half. He compiled 18 last year and already is at 16 this time aound.
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 10. Kristy Dascoli 25-12 2001
Streak Snapped
The loss to Indiana (April 13) was OSU’s first regular-season Big Ten loss since last year when Iowa defeated OSU in Iowa City. Previous to Friday the Buckeyes had won 13 Big Ten matches in a row.
Holding Their Own
The Buckeyes, winners of 7 of their last 9, are 7-1 in conference play which places them in second place behind undefeated Northwestern. In singles competition OSU is a combined 34-13 in Big Ten play and 145-87 overall.
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 when she defeated Notre Dame’s Becky Varnum in the ITA Midwest Regional Nov. 5. Dascoli, who now owns a career mark of 98-46, broke the old mark of 81 wins, held by Maria Olazagatsti (1977-79).
All in a Week’s Work
The Buckeyes are undefeated on Sunday, but have picked up more wins on Saturday than any other day. A daily record breakdown follows.
Sunday 5-0 Monday 0-0 Tuesday 0-0 Wednesday 1-1 Thursday 1-1 Friday 2-3 Saturday 7-2
In the Win Column
In 23 matches, OSU has squared off against 15 teams ranked nationally. The Buckeyes hold an 8-7 record against ranked teams. They defeated No. 8 UCLA (5-2), No. 36 Iowa (6-1), No. 43 Minnesota (7-0), No 43 Penn State (5-2), No. 62 Maryland (7-0), No. 64 Marquette (6-1), No. 75 Wisconsin (5-2), and No. 75 UNLV (4-3). OSU’s losses came to perennial powers No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 24 Kentucky. The Buckeyes also lost to No. 40 Oklahoma State and No. 41 Indiana.
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. Erica Fisk is rated No. 18 and Sadhaf Pervez is No. 22. In doubles, Dascoli and Rincon are ranked second.
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 is fierce, as seven conference teams, including Ohio State, are ranked by the ITA. Northwestern has the highest ranking at No. 11, followed by Ohio State (33), Illinois (34), Indiana (35), Iowa (40), Penn State (48), Purdue (67), Minnesota (71). Only Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin are not ranked.
The Spring Schedule
The Buckeyes faced a number of strong opponents in the spring. In addition to the conference schools, the Buckeyes had nine other ranked programs, including five Top 15 teams, on their schedule. Ohio State has faced Duke (3), Notre Dame (5), Pepperdine (7), UCLA (8) Tennessee (14), Kentucky (24), Maryland (62), Marquette (64) and UNLV (75).
