Ohio State
Texas A&M
No. 2 Buckeyes Post 6-1 Victory Over No. 17 Texas A&M – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 9, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio– The second-ranked Ohio State men’s tennis team improved to 16-1 on the season after beating No. 17 Texas A&M 6-1 Friday night at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Buckeyes’ homestand continues Sunday when they host Penn State at noon and the University of Northwest Ohio at 5 p.m. in the VTC.
Senior and 24th ranked Chase Buchanan’s 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 30 Alexis Klegou at No. 1 singles lifted the Scarlet and Gray to a 4-0 lead and the victory.
All six Buckeyes won the first set in singles play, including 58th ranked Peter Kobelt, who downed Junior Ore 6-3 in the first set before winning the second set 6-4 on court two.
Playing No. 5 singles, 44th-ranked Devin McCarthy had a successful outing vs. John Lewis, beating the Aggie 6-3, 6-2 to propel Ohio State to a 3-0 advantage. It was not long after, Buchanan’s win gave the Buckeyes their 138th-consecutive win in Columbus.
In continued singles play, Ille Van Engelen, ranked 105 in the nation, posted back-to-back 6-4 triumphs vs. Jeremy Efferding at the No. 4 position. Up next, Blaz Rola followed his 6-4 first-set win with a 6-1 second-set victory over Colin Hoover on court No. 2.
Connor Smith was forced into a second-set tiebreaker and third-set super tiebreaker, both of which he lost on court six to Niall Angus. Winning the first set 6-3, Smith suffered a 7-6 (12-10) loss in the second stanza. The Buckeye then dropped a 10-3 super tiebreaker set to conclude the evening.
The Buckeyes won the doubles point for the 16th time this season after No. 28 McCarthy and Van Engelen handed Hoover and Klegou an 8-4 setback at the No. 2 position. With the score tied 3-3, McCarthy and Van Engelen went up a break in the seventh game and then held serve for a 5-3 advantage. Despite giving up an additional game to the Aggie pair, the Buckeye duo held on for the final score.
The No. 1 doubles team in the country, Buchanan and Rola took a 5-0 lead against Ore and Jackson Withrow on court one before cruising to an 8-3 victory.
In other doubles action, Kobelt and Smith used a break in the 10th game to take a 6-5 lead and edged Lewis and Angus 8-6.
Break Points:
• The Buckeyes improve to 3-3 all-time vs. Texas A&M, including a 3-1 record under head coach Ty Tucker.
• As the No. 2 ranked team nationally, Ohio State is 61-4.
• The Buckeyes have won 16 of 17 doubles points this season.
• Ohio State has won 138 consecutive matches in Columbus, the longest active win streak in the nation. • Ohio State has won 62 of its last 63 regular-season (non-tournament) road contests dating back to 2006.
• The Buckeyes have been victorious in 33 of their previous 35 matches.
• Since 2001, Ohio State is 261-37 when ranked in the ITA Top 25. That mark moves to 214-14 from the 2005-06 season onward.
• The Buckeyes have been ranked in the ITA Top 10 for 179 consecutive matches (beginning March 7, 2006).
Tennis Match Results
#2 Ohio State 6, #17 Texas A&M 1
March 9, 2012
at Columbus, Ohio (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #24 Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. #30 Alexis Klegou (TEXASAM) 6-1, 6-3
2. #6 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. Colin Hoover (TEXASAM) 6-4, 6-1
3. #58 Peter Kobelt (OSU) def. Junior Ore (TEXASAM) 6-3, 6-4
4. #105 Ille Van Engelen (OSU) def. Jeremy Efferding (TEXASAM) 6-4, 6-4
5. #44 Devin McCarthy (OSU) def. John Lewis (TEXASAM) 6-3, 6-2
6. Niall Angus (TEXASAM) def. #114 Connor Smith (OSU) 3-6, 7-6, 10-3
Doubles competition
1. #1 Blaz Rola/Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. #25 Junior Ore/Jackson Withrow (TEXASAM) 8-3
2. #28 Devin McCarthy/Ille Van Engelen (OSU) def. Colin Hoover/Alexis Klegou (TEXASAM) 8-4
3. Peter Kobelt/Connor Smith (OSU) def. John Lewis/Niall Angus (TEXASAM) 8-6
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 9-6; National ranking #17 Ohio State 16-1;
National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,5,1,4,2,6)
Official: Vince Solomon T-3:15 A-306
