Women’s Tennis: Ohio State Heads to East Lansing for ITA Midwest Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Buckeyes look to earn qualifying bids for ITA Indoor Championships in November
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State women’s tennis team will travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Wilson/ITA Midwest Championships, Oct. 23-28, on the campus of Michigan State University.
The six-day event features a 64-team doubles main draw beginning Friday, as well as a singles qualifier for eight spots into the main singles field of 64, which begins action on Saturday. The singles action continues for three more days, concluding Tuesday with the final, while doubles will finish up Monday.
The Midwest Regional will act as a qualifier for the ITA National Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Virginia Nov. 6-9 in Charlottesville, Va. The singles finalists and doubles champions from 17 nationwide regionals will earn autobids.
HAVILAND OFF TO FAST START
Freshman Kelsey Haviland has begun her college career in a winning fashion, going 5-1 in singles and 5-2 in doubles. Haviland was outstanding at the Hoosier Fall Classic, where she was undefeated in singles play, including a win over Big Ten opponent Stephanie Wooten of Purdue on the final day.
The Dayton, Ohio, native has been equally outstanding in doubles, going 5-1 when playing with partner Julie Voss. The pair have won their last four matches together.
FLOWER IN CALIFORNIA
Buckeye junior Kirsten Flower traveled to Pacific Palisades, Calif., Sept. 30-Oct. 1 for the 2008 Riviera/All-American Championships. In the first round of the qualifying draw, Flower faced No. 2-seed Julie Cohen of Miami (Fla.) and fell 6-1, 6-2.
She won her first consolation match against the No. 94-ranked Sophie Kobuch of Hawaii, 6-3, 6-3, before falling in the second round of the consolation bracket, 6-1, 6-2, to Taylor Ormond of Baylor.
Flower, who is ranked as the No. 41 singles player in the country, has competed at the All-American in all three seasons of her collegiate career. She is the first Buckeye to compete at the All-American Championships since now-assistant coach Sadhaf Pervez played there as a senior in 2003.
A YEAR AGO AT THE MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last season, Ohio State traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Midwest Championships. Now-senior Angela DiPastina was a standout for the Buckeyes, winning two singles matches and advancing to the round of 16 in the main draw. DiPastina was also outstanding in doubles, winning two matches with partner Christina Keesey to enter the round of 16.
Then-freshman Cami Hubbs opened eyes with her performance, winning three singles matches in the qualifying draw to enter the main draw. All three Buckeyes doubles teams won their opening round match and moved on to the second round.
LOOKING BACK AT THE WILLIAM & MARY INVITATIONAL
Freshman Kelsey Haviland stole the show for the Scarlet and Gray at the William & Mary Invitational, advancing to the finals of the Flight B singles draw and winning two of three doubles matches with partner Julie Voss. Voss also had a good first tournament of the year, winning two singles in Flight C singles and two doubles matches in Flight B doubles.
Angela DiPastina and Christina Keesey lost their first doubles match but then advanced to the final of the consolation bracket. Senior Julie Blackmore won her first match in Flight B singles, while Cami Hubbs picked up her first win of the season in her final match of the tournament.
FLOWER NATIONALLY RANKED
Junior Kirsten Flower has been ranked as the No. 41 singles player in the country according to the 2008-09 Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings.
Flower, who transferred to Ohio State from Georgia Tech this offseason, has been ranked in the preseason singles poll all three years of her collegiate career. She is the first Buckeye ranked in the ITA singles poll since Lindsay Williams was ranked No. 98 in her senior season in 2004. She is also the highest ranked Buckeye since current assistant coach Sadhaf Pervez was No. 38 in February of 2003.
THE RUNDOWN
The Scarlet and Gray will look to top the 2007-08 campaign in which they made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004, scored a record 19 dual match wins and placed fifth in a competitive Big Ten.
The effort will be strengthened by the return of all but one letterwinner from a season ago, including three seniors, Julie Blackmore, Angela DiPastina and Julie Voss. Combined, the three have accounted for more than 150 singles victories during their tenure at Ohio State.
Also returning is junior Christina Keesey, as well as the dynamic sophomore tandem of Cami Hubbs and Paloma Escobedo. All three collected more than 20 wins in both singles and doubles in 2007-08, and they will again anchor the heart of both singles and doubles lineups.
The Buckeyes also welcome two newcomers, Kirsten Flower and Kelsey Haviland. Flower, a native of Upper Arlington and a former five-star recruit, comes to Ohio State after two seasons at Georgia Tech. Haviland, a graduate of Oakwood High School in Dayton, joins the Buckeyes after a successful prep career.
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