Season Opener Awaits Buckeyes against South Florida – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 14, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a two-month break from competition, the Ohio State women’s tennis team is ready to open the 2012 season in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, as the 55th-ranked Buckeyes face No. 42 South Florida. The match is set to begin at 10 a.m.
“We are going in this match as underdogs,” Chuck Merzbacher, who is entering his 16th season as Ohio State’s head coach, said. “But everyone is playing well and we are getting a chance to play outside in January. I’m looking forward to seeing this Buckeye team play.”
ON DECK FOR OHIO STATE
Following the Buckeyes’ clash with South Florida, the team returns to Columbus for its home-opening doubleheader against West Virginia and Dayton Jan. 21. The Buckeyes face the Mountaineers at 1 p.m. before taking on the Flyers at 6 p.m. inside the Varsity Tennis Center (880 W. Henderson Road). Admission to all home matches is free.
SOUTH FLORIDA AT A GLANCE
South Florida enjoyed a highly-competitive schedule in 2011 after 16 of its 23 matches came against ranked opponents, including a win over 75th-ranked Ohio State in March. The Bulls finished 11-12 overall and 4-1 in the Big East while qualifying for the NCAA tournament with the help of three All-Big East selections, including Big East Co-Player of the Year Irene Rehberger.
The Bulls lost Rehberger and fellow All-Big East player Janette Bejlkova following the end of the season, but return the third player in the trio, junior Ecaterina Vasenina. The Republic of Moldova native is ranked 48th nationally in singles. USF also returns Loreto Alonso Martinez and Alessandra Bonte, who finished with 19 and 15 singles wins in 2011, respectively. Vasenina led the team with nine singles victories in the fall, followed by sophomore Fanny Fracassi with eight. Martinez paired with Vasenina in doubles to notch six wins.
THE BULLS-BUCKEYES SERIES
The Scarlet and Gray are winless in eight tries against the Bulls, dating back to the first meeting in 1977. Ohio State and South Florida have met three times in the last four years, including USF’s 6-1 victory in Columbus last season. The closest match in the series came in 2008 as the Buckeyes fell by a one-point margin, 4-3.
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
Ohio State is 24-10 in season openers, including a 13-2 mark under current head coach Chuck Merzbacher. Last year, the Buckeyes swept Cincinnati and Cleveland State by a combined score of 14-0 at home before jumping out to a 6-2 record to open the season.
ON THE ROAD
The match Sunday will mark the first time any current member of the Ohio State team opens a season away from Columbus. The Buckeyes last began their spring slate on the road in 2008 when the team took a 7-0 victory from Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis.
“It’s my first time opening the season on the road and we are facing a tough team in South Florida,” senior Kelsey Haviland said. “I think it is going to make us a better team from the start.”
DOUBLE REPRESENTATION
The doubles duo of junior Kara Cecil and freshman Kelsey Dieters landed at No. 52 in the first ITA rankings of 2012. The tandem closed the fall season with a 5-2 record after producing a quarterfinals run at the USTA/ITA Division I Midwest Regional Championships in October. Cecil and Dieters are ranked eighth in the Midwest Region rankings. Cecil is ranked 11th in singles in the first regional rankings of 2012, as well.
POLLING IN THE PAST
Ohio State landed at No. 55 in the first polls of 2012, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The rankings, released Jan. 3, serve as a preseason notice before the first regular season rankings are available Jan. 24. This is the fifth-consecutive season the Scarlet and Gray have been included in the preseason polls.
2012 – 55th
2011 – 33rd
2010 – 38th
2009 – 32nd
2008 – 52nd
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Eleven of Ohio State’s potential 2012 opponents (OSU will face either Mississippi or Texas A&M on the second day of the ITA Kickoff Weekend) are ranked in the first poll of the year. Led by foes Michigan and Northwestern at 10th and 12th, respectively, five Big Ten rivals found a place in the Top 75 to begin the season. The Buckeyes’ schedule also features three ranked teams from the Southeastern Conference, including 18th-ranked Tennessee and 24th-ranked Arkansas.
Michigan – 10th
Northwestern – 12th
Florida State – 17th
Tennessee – 18th
Arkansas – 24th
Texas A&M – 29th
Mississippi – 37th
Nebraska – 39th
Purdue – 61st
LSU – 65th
Illinois – 69th
A LOOK BACK AT THE FALL
Ohio State opened its fall slate by hosting the Muirfield Collegiate Tennis Invitational at the Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, Sept. 16-18. The Buckeyes combined to post 15 victories, including 11 singles wins. Dieters earned her first collegiate victory against Claire McNulty of Dayton at the event. Dieters and Cecil also notched an upset of 60th-ranked Fellerhoff and Shine from Louisville in doubles consolation action.
Noelle Malley led the Buckeyes in action at the Martha Thorn Invitational hosted by West Virginia Oct. 7-9. The sophomore scored four singles victories to take home the Flight A singles title, capped off by a win over WVU’s Emily Mathis in the championship match. The performance earned Malley Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors Oct. 12, the first of her career.
The Buckeyes followed up as hosts of the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional. Tiffany Dittmer notched a pair of victories to earn a berth into main draw singles, while Cecil and Gabby Steele both reached the Round of 16 before falling to opponents from Notre Dame and DePaul. Cecil teamed with Dieters to reach the doubles quarterfinals, as well.
Ohio State closed the fall with a trip to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State Thunderbird Invitational Nov. 4-6. The team tallied six singles victories and four doubles wins at the event, which featured competition from fellow Big Ten schools Michigan and Northwestern.
