Blaz Rola Recognized as ITA National Player to Watch – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Blaz Rola, a freshman on the No. 4 Ohio State men’s tennis team, was named the ITA National Player to Watch, the ITA announced Tuesday. Rola is the first Buckeye in program history to be recognized for such an honor.
The Ptuj, Slovenia, native will begin the singles and doubles portions of the 2011 NCAA Championships Wednesday. Rola, the 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, received the Big Ten conference’s automatic bid in the singles competition and is the No. 5 seed. With a team-high 38 victories, he served as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 singles player during the NCAA team championships. During the five-match stretch, Rola was 2-1, with two matches going unfinished.
Rola will also pair with junior Chase Buchanan in the doubles event. Buchanan and Rola, the 11th ranked team nationally, earned the league’s automatic doubles bid. The tandem is 15-6 overall. The Ohio State pair has earned five wins against ranked teams and is 5-0 at No. 2.
