2005-06 Women’s Tennis Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 9, 2006
Looking ahead to the 2006 season, Chuck Merzbacher, Ohio State women’s tennis head coach, is optimistic. He has several players returning and a quality freshman class.
The Buckeyes lost four seniors from the 2005 squad but added four outstanding freshmen and a transfer from Georgia Southern University. Merzbacher said one of the most positive elements of the upcoming season is that the winningest player from last year is returning.
Another positive for the upcoming season is the players will not have to perform in unfamiliar roles, which was a major concern last year.
“One problem last year was people jumping too high in the rotation. This year we will be back into a regular rotation,” Merzbacher said. “That should make the girls more comfortable and help them play well.”
The squad is a young one this season, with just one senior, four juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
THE UPPERCLASSMEN
The lone senior, Emily Howard (Sr., Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), who has not played many singles matches during her career, brings knowledge and leadership to the team this season.
“Emily hasn’t played much in singles, but will definitely have a big influence on our doubles matches,” Merzbacher said. “She has played in a lot of big matches and can help the younger girls adjust to collegiate tennis.”
Juniors Kristin Messmer (Jr., Lutherville, Md./McDonogh) and Sonia Ruzimovsky (Jr., Valley Stream, NY./Brooklyn Tech) are two of the top returnees this season. In singles, Messmer had 14 victories last year, while Ruzimovsky brings 22 wins from last season.
“Kristin brings a lot of experience and playing time,” Merzbacher said. “She looks to be one of our Top 3 players this year.”
As for Ruzimovsky, she has a chance to be an outstanding player at Ohio State. She was voted the team Most Valuable Player while compiling an impressive record of 22-14 last year to lead the team in overall singles wins. The Buckeyes gained a transfer this year that is expected to help tremendously, Merzbacher said. Ciara Finucane (Jr., Dublin, Ireland/Georgia Southern University) is an excellent player that brings collegiate experience to the team.
“Ciara brings the experience of playing collegiate tennis, which is great for the younger players,” Merzbacher said.
THE PLAYERS OF THE FUTURE
Heading the sophomore class will be Caitlin O’Keefe (So., Troy, Mich./Troy), who also is the statistical leader from last year. Merzbacher is excited about O’Keefe returning.
“Caitlin is our winningest player from last year, which is a positive coming into this season,” Merzbacher said. O’Keefe was awarded the Coach’s Award last year, which is awarded to the hardest worker on the team, and she led the team in conference wins in both singles and doubles.
The other returning sophomore alongside O’Keefe is Nidhi Shah (So., Mumbai, India/Mithibai College). Shah saw action in seven matches last season and could see more playing time this year. Nevertheless, she did an excellent job for the Buckeyes a year ago.
“Nidhi was very solid last year and has a lot of talent. Last year was an adjustment year, and I expect a great season out of her,” Merzbacher said. “If last year was any indication of her talent, she will be a great player for the Buckeyes.”
Headlining the freshman class is Sara Kinning (Fr., Grand Blanc, Mich./Powers Catholic), a redshirt freshman.
Kinning has made huge strides in the offseason and is looking forward to a great start to her career.
“Sara is the most improved from last year to this year,” Merzbacher said. “She is very hard working and extremely talented.”
Two freshmen Merzbacher is excited about having on the team are Julie Blackmore (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and Julie Voss (Fr., San Angelo, Texas/St. Stephen’s Academy). Blackmore is an excellent player and has been ranked in the Top 40 in the country in singles and Voss was ranked No. 1 in the state of Texas.
Another highly touted player is Angela DiPastina (Fr., Titusville, N.J./Hun School of Princeton). DiPastina was ranked as high as 18th nationally in singles and was the 2002 Princeton Packet Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
“Voss, Blackmore and DiPastina can be really good,” Merzbacher said. “They are very talented and can play right away.”
Rounding out the freshman class is another excellent competitor, Olga Koutseridi (Fr., Barcelona, Spain/Schiller International). Koutseridi is a bright star in the Buckeyes’ future, Merzbacher said. Koutseridi received the Most Improved Player Award in the academy of Bollettieri, in Spain in 2002 and also competed in the finals of several International Tennis Federation tournaments and Spanish Nationals.
When you lose a talented group of seniors, as the Buckeyes did, it is tough to replace that leadership. This season, however, Merzbacher is not worried about the team falling off or going into a slump.
“We are definitely going to take advantage of our home matches,” Merzbacher said. “The team will definitely be challenged.”
A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
The schedule for the Buckeyes will be a difficult one. They face eight teams that went to the NCAA tournament last season, five of which hail from the Big Ten.
Ohio State will play 15 home matches, including seven of the first 10 games, which will help the Buckeyes as they start the new season. They also finish the schedule with six of the last eight matches in Columbus.
“The toughest part of the season schedule is going to be the Big Ten,” Merzbacher said.
