Women’s Tennis Travels West – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 1, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State women’s tennis team (9-1, 2-1 Big Ten) travels west to face No. 20-ranked Notre Dame (7-5) Saturday and DePaul (8-3). The No. 38 Buckeyes and Irish will face off at 1 p.m. Saturday and Ohio State and No. 70 DePaul will meet at 10 a.m. in a neutral site match. Both matches will be held in the Eck Tennis Pavilion on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Ind.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Buckeyes were ranked 38th in the Feb. 27 Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The squad held the No. 35 position in the previous rankings.
The Individuals
The Buckeyes hold three positions in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings for women’s singles. Sophomore Erica Fisk is the highest ranked Buckeye, with a career-high ranking of No. 49. Sadhaf Pervez, a junior, is ranked 82nd, while senior Monica Rincon is 85th in the nation. The Buckeyes have no ranked doubles teams. The rankings were released Feb. 22.
How The Rankings Work
A player or team’s average used for ranking is determined by: taking the total number of ranking points (based on their seven best wins) divided by the number of countable matches played (determined by the ITA – it is seven this week) added to points from losses. The ranking points for wins and losses are based on the opponent’s ranking in the nation and change every week. A more thorough explanation is available on-line at www.itatennis.com.
A Big Jump
Sophomore Erica Fisk and junior Sadhaf Pervez earned the first national rankings of their careers in the rankings released by the ITA Feb. 22.
A Look at the Irish
No. 20 Notre Dame, a member of the BIG EAST conference, enters the match up Saturday with an overall 7-5 season record. The Irish have won three straight and they most recently defeated #75 Virginia Tech, 7-0. Three of the squad’s losses have come to teams currently ranked in the Top 10 – No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 10 North Carolina. Notre Dame plays No. 41 Wisconsin, who defeated the Buckeyes last week, Friday before its matchup with the Buckeyes Saturday.
The squad is led by Becky Varnum, who is ranked No. 73, while Alicia Salas holds the No. 127 spot. Varnum and Lindsey Green are ranked 30th in doubles.
AT The Helm
Jay Louderback took over the head coach position at Notre Dame in the fall of 1989 after the Irish had been part of Division I tennis for only two seasons. Louderback was voted the Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1996. Notre Dame has won five consecutive BIG EAST titles while also making appearances in the NCAA tournament in each of those years.
Buckeyes vs. Irish
The Buckeyes are 3-8 all-time vs. the Irish. Notre Dame has won the last six regular season meetings against Ohio State.
OSU vs. ND – Last Season
The Buckeyes and Irish last met March 3, 2001, in South Bend, Ind. The Buckeyes lost the doubles point and five-of-six singles matches en route to a 1-6 loss to the Irish. Monica Rincon posted the lone victory for the Buckeyes at No. 2 singles.
Individually vs. The Irish in 2001
Last season, the Ohio State doubles tandem of Kristy Dascoli and Monica Rincon upset Notre Dame’s then-No. 7 ranked duo of Michelle Dasso and Becky Varnum (6-0, 6-4) in the second round of the NCAA Doubles Championship. The win put the Buckeyes in the quarterfinal round, earning them All-America accolades, the first in OSU program history. Dascoli’s run for the singles title was stopped in the quarterfinals with a loss to Dasso.
Scouting DePaul
The DePaul Blue Demons, ranked No. 73 in the nation, will face Butler and Miami (Ohio) in Indianapolis Saturday before playing Ohio State Sunday. The squad is 8-3 on the year and 1-0 in Conference USA. DePaul had its six-match winning streak stopped last weekend with a 5-2 loss to Ball State. The team’s other losses came against No. 13 Northwestern and Michigan of the Big Ten. Szilvia Kelemen leads the team at No. 1 singles.
At The Helm
Mark Ardizzone is in his fifth season at the helm of the Blue Demons. He came to DePaul from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. where he was the assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. He played collegiately at Northwest Missouri State, where he was ranked nationally in singles and doubles, and at DuPage.
The Series
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with DePaul, 4-0. Ohio State topped the Blue Demons, 6-1, last season in Columbus.
I Thought That Sounded Familiar
Ohio State junior Michelle Matko has a family connection to the DePaul squad, as her twin sisters, Natalie and Stephanie, are sophomores on the squad. Stephanie earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors for the period ending Feb. 4. Natalie earned the accolade for the period ending Jan. 28.
OSU Last Time Out
Wisconsin 5, Ohio State 2
The Buckeyes lost all three doubles matches, as well as the doubles point, for the first time this season, en route to losing to Wisconsin, 5-2. Michelle Matko and Linsday Williams recorded the wins for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State 5, Minnesota 2
The squad rebounded the next day, topping Minnesota, 5-2, in its third Big Ten match of the season. The Buckeyes won 2-of-3 doubles matches to earn the doubles point and posted wins in 5-of-6 singles spots for the victory.
A Good Sign
When the Buckeyes win the doubles point this season, they are 9-0. The squad lost the one match it failed to earn the doubles point.
Perfect
Sophomore Lindsay Williams is perfect in the spring season, winning her first 10 matches. She is 1-0 at No. 2 and No. 3 and 8-0 at No. 5. Williams has a mark of 13-5 overall this year. She is one of just two Buckeyes to play in all 10 matches this season and ranks first with 10 wins.
The Best
The Buckeyes’ 8-0 record (with all the wins coming at home) was the best start to a season for the program since at least the 1985-86 season. The squad’s mark for consecutive wins is nine, set in the 2000 season and the record for consecutive wins at home is 11, also set in 2000.
In The Conference
The Buckeyes are 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference so far this season. The squad has wins over Penn State and Minnesota and fell to Wisconsin last weekend.
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 80-58 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. For his career, spanning more than 11 years, he is 211-120.
The Doubles Story
The Buckeyes are 25-5 in doubles matches this spring. The squad has swept the doubles matches in seven matches and has lost the doubles point just once. The squad was swept in doubles by Wisconsin and lost one doubles match each to Maryland and Minnesota.
Steady
Perhaps the steadiest 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 9-1 in the spring season for an overall record of 14-4.
HOME COOKING
The Buckeyes defend their home turf well. They are off to a perfect 8-0 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 26-3 when playing in Columbus.
Winners Everywhere
OSU has won 46-of-62 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 10 team matches.
The Leader
Sophomore Erica Fisk leads the Buckeyes with a record of 15-7. She was 10-4 during the fall tournament season.
Spotless
The Buckeyes have not lost a match at the No. 5 singles spots this spring, going a perfect 10-0. The three Lindsays – (Lindsey) Adams, Williams and Bryan – have combined for the 10 wins.
DOUBLE FIGURES
Five Buckeyes – Erica Fisk, Michelle Matko, Sadhaf Pervez, Monica Rincon and Lindsay Williams – all have posted 10 or more singles wins this season. The team is led by Fisk’s 15 victories overall this year, with Rincon ranking second with 14. Pervez and Williams are tied for third with 13 each, followed by Matko with 12. Meaghan Colville is one win away from her 10th of the season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Monica Rincon’s 90 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 or have faced 15 teams ranked by the ITA in the rankings released Feb. 27. Upcoming opponents include Kentucky (11), Northwestern (14), Notre Dame (20), Indiana (26), Illinois (35t), Iowa (50), Purdue (66), Michigan (70), DePaul (73) and Michigan State (75t). The Buckeyes have defeated Kansas (59), Penn State (69), Maryland (72) and Virginia Tech (75t). OSU’s only loss came against No. 35 (tied) Wisconsin.
Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings Administered by the ITA (released Feb. 27) Team Votes 1. Georgia (9-0) 600 2. Vanderbilt (14-1) 592 3. Stanford (8-1) 584 4. Duke (7-1) 576 5. Florida (3-0) 568 6. Wake Forest (7-1) 560 7. UCLA (8-0) 540 8. Arizona State (4-1) 539 9. Tennessee (9-3) 537 10. Texas (6-0) 533 11. Kentucky (9-1) 514 12. Washington (9-1) 512 13. North Carolina (7-3) 510 14. Northwestern (8-4) 498 15. California (5-1) 497 16. Southern California (5-4) 484 17. Fresno State (4-3) 474 18. Texas A&M (8-1) 470 19. William & Mary (8-2) 451 20. Notre Dame (7-5) 450 21. Baylor (6-2) 438 22. Alabama (8-1) 420 23. Oklahoma State (4-3) 413 24. Georgia Tech (7-2) 418 25. South Carolina (6-1) 392 38. Ohio State (9-1) 302 source: www.itatennis.com
