Women’s Tennis Team Earns Fifth-Consecutive NCAA Tournament Berth – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 30, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State has been selected to compete in the 2003 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, the NCAA announced Wednesday. It marks the fifth consecutive and sixth appearance overall for the Buckeyes in the 64-team field.
Ohio State (12-11), ranked 49th in the nation, will open play vs. No. 34 Virginia (15-9) in Knoxville, Tenn. The host and No. 8-ranked Lady Vols (20-6) will face Murray State (16-10) in the other opening round matchup. The winners of the first-round matches will meet for a spot in the round of 16. Exact dates and times for the matches in Knoxville, Tenn., have not yet been announced.
“This is great,” Chuck Merzbacher, OSU head coach, said. “I’m really happy for our senior, Sadhaf (Pervez). Our team is continuing its excellence. This gives us something to build on. We have a great draw; we’re a team that can go far if we put everything together.”
The Buckeyes are one of 33 teams to earn an at-large berth into the national tournament. The squad is 1-5 all-time in NCAA play, with its win coming over Miami (Fla.) in 2000. Ohio State also competed in Knoxville in the first round last season, where it fell to Alabama, 4-0.
The Buckeyes are 1-1 all-time vs. the Cavaliers, but the squads have not met since OSU posted a 5-4 win in 1997. The teams first met in 1981, a 6-3 Virginia victory. The Buckeyes trail the all-time series with Tennessee, 2-6, and never have competed against Murray State.
Qualifiers for the NCAA singles and doubles championships will be announced online at ncaasports.com Thursday by 6 p.m. The Buckeyes have had a singles qualifier in each of the last five seasons.
