Ohio State
Illinois
No. 2 Buckeyes Shut Out No. 23 Illinois 7-0 – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 13, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 2 Ohio State men’s tennis team (26-2; 8-0 Big Ten) defeated No. 23 Illinois (12-5, 6-2) 7-0 Friday night at the Varsity Indoor Tennis Center in front of 326 fans. The victory extended Ohio State’s Big Ten win streak to 87 matches. In addition, the Buckeyes won their 144th-consecutive home contest.
Chase Buchanan sealed the conference victory after posting a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 5 Dennis Nevolo on court one to make it 4-0. Buchanan, ranked 13th, has 22 singles wins this year.
With the 7-0- victory, the Scarlet and Gray have now won 10 consecutive vs. Illinois, all under the direction of head coach Ty Tucker. Overall in the series, Ohio State posts a 40-54-1 overall record against the Fighting Illini.
Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen, ranked 23rd nationally, were the first doubles team to win, defeating Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon 8-1 at the No. 2 position. It was their team high 28th victory.
Connor Smith and Peter Kobelt claimed the doubles point for the Buckeyes after pulling away from Stephen Hoh and Farris Gosea on court three to win 8-4.
In the final doubles match, the top ranked doubles tandem in the nation, Buchananand Blaz Rola, beat Nevolo and Ray Kalmanovich, the 25th-ranked doubles team, 8-3 on court one. It was the duo’s 26th win together this season, including a 17-2 mark at the top position, 11-1 vs. ranked opponents and 5-0 in league play.
Rola, ranked seventh, beat Kalmanovich quickly at No. 2 singles to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead. His 6-0, 6-1 win was his 27th singles victory of the season. Van Engelen lifted the Buckeyes to a 3-0 lead after he earned his sixth conference win of the year, winning 6-3, 6-4 over Kopinski at No. 4. Buchanan clinched the victory shortly after with his big win on court one.
In other singles play, Kobelt was a 6-4, 7-5 winner on court four vs. Bruno Abdelnour, Smith defeated Gosea 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 at No. 6 and McCarthy beat Hoh 6-4, 7-6 after falling behind 3-0 in the first set.
Ohio State continues its homestand with at 12 p.m. match with No. 46 Northwestern Sunday. The tilt is currently scheduled to be played at the new outdoor Varsity Tennis Courts.
Break Points:
- As the No. 2 team nationally, Ohio State is 69-5.
- Ohio State has won 87 consecutive Big Ten Conference matches.
- The Scarlet and Gray have won 26 of 27 doubles points this season.
- The Buckeyes have been victorious in 43 of their previous 46 matches.
- Ohio State has won 144 consecutive home matches in Columbus.
- Since 2001, Ohio State is 271-38 when ranked in the ITA Top 25. That mark moves to 224-15 from the 2005-06 season onward.
- The Buckeyes have been ranked in the ITA Top 10 for 190 consecutive matches (beginning March 7, 2006).
Tennis Match Results
#2 Ohio State 7, #23 Illinois 0
April 13, 2012 at Columbus, Ohio
(Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #13 Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. #5 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) 6-4, 6-4
2. #7 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #38 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) 6-0, 6-1
3. #58 Peter Kobelt (OSU) def. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) 6-4, 7-5
4. Ille Van Engelen (OSU) def. Tim Kopinski (ILL) 6-3, 6-4
5. #79 Devin McCarthy (OSU) def. Stephen Hoh (ILL) 6-4, 7-6
6. #118 Connor Smith (OSU) def. Frarris Gosea (ILL) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. #1 Chase Buchanan/Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #25 Dennis Nevolo/Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) 8-3
2. #23 Devin McCarthy/Ille Van Engelen (OSU) def. Tim Kopinski/Ross Guignon (ILL) 8-1
3. #83 Connor Smith/Peter Kobelt (OSU) def. Stephen Hoh/Frarris Gosea (ILL) 8-4
Match Notes:
Illinois 12-5; National ranking #23
Ohio State 26-2; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,4,1,3,6,5)
Official: Vince Solomon T-3:15 A-326
