Women’s Tennis Closes Out Homestand – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 14, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State women’s tennis team (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) looks to stay unbeaten on the spring season as it plays host to Maryland (2-1) at 2:30 p.m. Friday and Kansas at 10 a.m. Sunday (2-0). The matches will be contested at Jesse Owens West Recreation.
In the Rankings
The Buckeyes were ranked 35th in the Feb. 13 Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The squad held the No. 33 position in the previous rankings.
Rolling Along
The Buckeyes are undefeated on the season, going a perfect 6-0 to start the spring. The squad posted shutouts in its first three matches topped Penn State, 4-3, and defeated Virginia Tech and Marquette easily, 6-1.
Closing It Out
The matches this weekend will bring the Buckeyes’ eight-match homestand to a close. Following the match against Kansas, the Buckeyes will be on the road for their next four matches.
A Look at Maryland
The Maryland Terrapins have a record of 2-1 this season. The Terrapins began their spring season with 7-0 victories over West Virginia and Georgetown but are coming off a loss to Virginia Commonwealth, 4-3. The Terrapins are lead by junior Delila Caussevic and sophomore Emily Marker at No. 1 doubles. Causevic, a two-time All-ACC selection, also leads the team at the No. 1 singles spot.
At The Helm
Martin Novak is in his first year at the helm for Maryland. He spent the previous 16 years coaching at Arkansas (1985-90) and in the Big Ten at Minnesota (1990-2001). His career record stands at 199-164.
Buckeyes vs. Terrapins
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Maryland, 2-1. Last year, the Buckeyes topped the Terps, 7-0, in College Park.
A Look at the Jayhawks
Kansas, Ranked No. 50 in the nation, is 2-0 on the season. The squad is coming off a 4-3 victory over then-no. 51 Tulsa last weekend. Cheryl Mallaiah leads the team at No. 1 singles and won in three sets against Tulsa. The team opened the season with a 6-1 victory over Witchita State.
At The Helm
Kilmeny Waterman is in her second season at the helm of the Jayhawks. She has an overall mark of 40-54 and is 13-12 at Kansas. Waterman, a standout at Trinity (Texas), coached at Wyoming before coming to Kansas.
Buckeyes vs. Jayhawks
The Buckeyes lead the all-times series with Kansas, 2-0. The squads last met in 2000, with OSU posting a 7-2 win.
Terrapins vs. Jayhawks
Maryland and Kansas will face off in a neutral site match at 10 a.m. Saturday in Jesse Owens West Recreation Center.
The Best
The Buckeyes’ 6-0 record ties the best start to a season for the program since at least the 1985-86 season. The squad also started the spring with a 6-0 record in 1995-96.
A Recap – The Buckeyes’ Last Action
Ohio State recorded a 6-1 nonconference win over Virginia Tech at Jesse Owens West Recreation Center Feb. 1. Ohio State opened the match with wins in all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point. The squad has not lost a doubles match this spring. Monica Rincon and Meaghan Colville won easily at No. 1 over Meredith Vincent and Carolyn Kramer, 8-0. The No. 2 match was close, with Buckeyes Erica Fisk and Sadhaf Pervez pulling out a 9-7 victory over Felice Lam and Kristen Stubbs. Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams completed the Buckeye sweep with an 8-2 victory over Ginger Lowdermilk and Zdenka Videnova, 8-2. The Buckeyes opened singles play with straight-set wins at the first four singles spots. Rincon topped Stubbs at No. 1, Fisk defeated Vincent at No. 2, Pervez was a winner over Lowdermilk and Matko beat Kramer. Williams pulled out a win at No. 5, coming back to top Videnova at No. 5 in a tie breaker (2-6, 6-4 (10-7). Sunday, Feb. 3, the Buckeyes topped Marquette, 6-1. For the sixth consecutive match, the Buckeyes did not drop a doubles match and earned the doubles point. Rincon and Colville defeated the Golden Eagles’ Gen Charron and Vero Brisano at No. 1, 8-3. At No. 2, Buckeyes Erica Fisk and Sadhaf Pervez won easily, 8-1, over Anna Pavlovic and Eva Trujillo. Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams completed the Buckeye sweep, beating Alex Stankovic and Belle Espinos, 8-6. Ohio State won at the top five singles positions. Rincon recorded an easy win at No. 1, shutting out Charron, 6-0, 6-0. Against Trujillo, Fisk struggled through the first set, winning 7-5, before going on to win the second set, 6-1. Pervez topped Espinosa at No. 3, Matko beat Briseno at No. 4 and Williams defeated Pavlovic at No. 5 in straight sets. Against Alex Stankovic at No. 6, Lindsay Bryan lost the first set but battled back to even the match in the second. Bryan then lost in a tiebreaker.
In The Conference
The Buckeyes are 1-0 in the Big Ten Conference after topping Penn State at home, 4-3, Jan. 27. The match marked the first league action this season.
At the Helm
Chuck Merzbacher is in his sixth season at the helm. He has enjoyed much success since becoming the head man at OSU, compiling a 77-57 record. Under the guidance of Merzbacher the program has sent the team, a singles player and a doubles tandem to the NCAA Championships the past three years. In his tenure at OSU, Merzbacher has coached two All-Americans, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, a Big Ten Freshman of the Year and two ITA Midwest Region Players to Watch.
A Milestone
The win over Penn State marked the 75th victory for head coach Chuck Merzbacher at the helm of the Buckeyes. He is the fastest in Buckeye history to reach 75 wins. Through his first five years, Merzbacher has averaged 14.2 wins a year. For his career, spanning more than 11 years, he is 209-119.
Scouting Ohio State
With an exceptionally deep lineup the Buckeyes are capable of posting wins at all six singles spots. Leading the way is All-American Monica Rincon. The senior is 87-41 for her career and with 13 more wins would become only the second Buckeye to reach the 100-win mark. Two other players-Michelle Matko and Sadhaf Pervez-have more than 50 wins in their career. In the fall coach Merzbacher used 12 different doubles combinations. Three of them competed in more than seven matches together, with two of the three posting five wins a piece.
Doubles Domination
In the spring season the Buckeyes are a perfect 18-0 in doubles matches. Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams are the only tandem to compete together in all six matches.
Home Cooking
The Buckeyes defend their home turf well. They are off to a perfect 6-0 start this year, continuing their success at home. Last year the squad was 7-3 when playing at home and was a perfect 11-0 in 1999-00. Since the 1999-00 season OSU is 24-3 when playing in Columbus.
Winners Everywhere
OSU has won 31-of-36 singles matches it has competed in, with a number of players playing at a number of positions. Monica Rincon, Sadhaf Pervez and Michelle Matko all have won matches at No. 1 this year. Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams are the only Buckeyes to play in all six team matches.
Double the Help
Sophomore Meaghan Colville has been a strong addition to the Buckeye lineup. She has posted 14 doubles wins and just two losses, a winning percentage of 87.5 percent. In the spring she is 6-0, playing two matches at No. 1 each with Monica Rincon and Sadhaf Pervez. Colville has gone 8-5 in singles overall this year.
The Leader
Sophomore Erica Fisk leads the Buckeyes with a record of 14-4, including a mark of 4-0 at No. 2 singles in the spring.
Perfect
The Buckeyes have not lost a match at the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 5 singles spots this spring, going a perfect 6-0 at each. They are close to perfect at No. 3 and No. 4, going 5-1 at each.
Double Figures
Four Buckeyes – Meaghan Colville, Sadhaf Pervez, Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams – have posted double-digit wins in doubles this season. Colville and Pervez rank first with 13 wins each, followed by Matko and Williams with 11.
Double Figures – Part Two
Four Buckeyes – Erica Fisk, Michelle Matko, Sadhaf Pervez and Monica Rincon – all have posted 10 or more singles wins this season. The team is led by Fisk’s 14 victories overall this year.
Climbing the Charts
Monica Rincon’s 87 career wins place her second on OSU’s all-time singles wins list. Oct. 28 at the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament, Rincon picked up her 81st and 82nd career win, catapulting her ahead of Maria Olazagatsti (1977-79, 81-20) into second place. OSU’s all-time singles wins leader is Kristy Dascoli, who finished her career (1998-01) with 104 wins.
A Tough Road
This season, the buckeyes will face 12 teams ranked by the ITA in the rankings released Feb. 13. The squad will face three Top 25 teams in Notre Dame (No. 18), Northwestern (12t) and Kentucky (16). The Buckeyes’ other ranked opponents are Indiana (29), Illinois (34), Wisconsin (42), Kansas (50), Purdue (61), Michigan (67) and Michigan State (75t). Ohio State already has defeated then-No. 52 Penn State, 4-3 and then-No. 75 Virginia Tech.
A Combination of Lindsays (or Lindseys)
The three Lindsays on the Ohio State roster – Linsdey Adams, Lindsay Bryan and Lindsay Williams – all have posted wins at No. 5 singles to keep the Buckeyes undefeated at the position.
Dynamic Duo
Perhaps the most steady Buckeye doubles team is the duo of Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams. The two competed in all three tournaments together and recorded an overall record of 5-3. They are 6-0 in the spring season for an overall record of 11-3. In the fall, one of their losses came to teammates Monica Rincon and Erica Fisk.
Let’s Play Three
In singles play combined the Buckeyes have played 22 three-set matches. Their overall record is 13-9. Erica Fisk leads the charge with a 5-1 record in matches that go three sets. Michelle Matko follows with a 4-1 mark. Monica Rincon is next with a steady 2-2 record. Lindsay Bryan is 0-2 when an extra stanza is needed and Lindsay Williams is 2-3.
Speaking of Three…
Lindsay Williams has played a three-set match in two of her last three outings. In both, she lost the first set before rebounding for the win.
The Individual Rankings
The Buckeyes are well represented in the individual national rankings released Dec. 11 Monica Rincon earned a career-best ranking at No. 56, up one spot from No. 57. She ended last year ranked No. 83. In doubles, the tandem of Rincon and Erica Fisk, who never had played doubles with each other before the 2001 summer circuit, garnered a No. 47 ranking.
Represented in the Region
Four OSU players are ranked in the Midwest region rankings released Dec. 14. Rincon is ranked No. 5 followed by No. 8 Fisk. Sadhaf Pervez is No. 13. In doubles the duo of Rincon and Meaghan Colville is ranked No. 15. The tandem combined to go 2-0 in fall play and are 2-0 in the spring season.
Next up for the Buckeyes
OSU hits the road for its first away matches of the season. The squad will travel to Madison, Wis. to face the Badgers Feb. 23 and then move on to Minneapolis, Minn. to face the Gophers Feb. 24.
