Women’s Tennis Begins Five-Match Homestand – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 5, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The women’s tennis team, 13-5 on the year, is riding a respectable three-match winning into this weekend’s action. Saturday at 10 a.m. OSU faces rival Michigan. The Buckeyes return to the courts Sunday for a 10 a.m. showdown with Michigan State. Both matches will be contested at the Stickney Tennis Center.
The Series
OSU and UM have met 37 times with the Wolverines holding a 26-11 overall advantage, but OSU has won the last three matches with UM. The Buckeyes have defeated MSUfour consecutive times and lead the series 18-12.
The National Rankings
The Buckeyes are ranked 27th in the most recent rankings released by the ITA (March 28). 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 32nd 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 is ranked No. 97 in the nation and is off to a hot start with an 13-3 singles dual record.
Scouting Michigan
Michigan (7-7, 2-3) is a difficult to team to scout. One day they thump Wisconsin 6-1 and then the next day they drop a match 5-2 to Minnesota. UM enters the match after an eight-day break from action. Their last time out they trounced Michigan State 7-0. The Wolverines are led by Kavitha Tipirneni, a freshman from Galloway, Ohio. She has spenttime at the No. 1 and No. 2 spot this season and is a 13-11 this season.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans (6-10, 0-5) are young team as eight of 11 players either freshmen or sophomores. Freshman Caroline Lay plays No. 1 singles for MSU and has learned the Big Ten is a tough conference to play in. She is 0-5 in league play, but has put up impressive numbers when she teams up with fellow freshman Trine Lise Juliussen at the No. 1 doubles spot. The duo is 10-6 on the year.
Recapping Last Time Out
OSU defeated Penn State 5-2 last Sunday afternoon to improve to 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have now won 11 regular-season Big Ten matches in a row. The Buckeyes were victorious in four of the six singles matches.
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 67-51 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.
A Milestone for Coach
Coach Merzbacher collected his 200th career win Wednesday when OSU defeated Miami (Ohio). Sixty-seven of his 200 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 67 wins under his belt as a Buckeye and nearly half of those wins (31) have come in less than a year and a half. He compiled 18 last year and already is at 13 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
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.
Rincon on a Roll
Monica Rincon put together a tremendous winning streak over the past month and a half. She has won nine out of her last 10 matches and before her loss at Penn State (April 1) the junior had won nine in a row. During the streak she displayed the grit and determination that makes a champion. Three of her nine matches went three sets and in all three cases Rincon had to battle back from losing the first set. Prior to the Penn State match her last loss came to Paola Palencia of Pepperdine on Feb. 15 during the ITA National Team Indoors. She is 20-6 and her winning percentage of .769 leads the team. (Mininum of 10 decisions)
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 12-6 in spring dual action. Her 21 wins are second most on the team. Dascoli leads with 22.
Double Trouble
The tandem of Sadhaf Pervez and Laura Maloney (Sr., Barrington, Ill.) has been a consistent force for OSU at No. 2 doubles this spring. The duo has posted a team-best 12-4 dual match record. Two of those wins was recorded at the No. 1 spot.
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 95-44, broke the old OSU mark of 81 wins, held by Maria Olazagatsti (1977-79).
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 3-0 Monday 0-0 Tuesday 0-0 Wednesday 0-0 Thursday 1-1 Friday 2-2 Saturday 6-2
Win Streak at 11
With the win over Penn State (April 1) the Buckeyes have not lost a Big Ten regular season match in their last 11 outings. This is the OSU’s longest Big Ten regular-season winning streak since 1983-84 season. OSU’s last loss in conference play was to Iowa last year.
Big Ten Perfection
The Buckeys are a perfect 4-0 in conference play and are one of two teams with an unblemished record in the league. Northwestern is the other. At the 1-4 singles the Buckeyes are a combined 15-1.
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.
In the Win Column
In 18 matches, OSU has squared off against 13 teams ranked nationally. The Buckeyes hold a 8-5 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 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 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 eight conference teams, including Ohio State, are ranked by the ITA. Northwestern has the highest ranking at No. 11, followed by Ohio State (27), Iowa (32) Illinois (35), Indiana (38), Penn State (43), Michigan (63) and Purdue (70). Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin are not ranked.
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), Marquette (64) and UNLV (75). OSU still has to play No. 24 Kentucky.
