No. 22 Buckeyes Ready for Three Matches This Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 18, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 22nd-ranked Ohio State women’s tennis team is set to compete in a trio of road matches this weekend. The Buckeyes will start the trip vs. Rutgers at noon Friday in New Brunswick, N.J., before taking on No. 47 Maryland at noon in College Park and UMBC at 4:30 p.m. in Baltimore.
LAST TIME OUT?
With a 5-2 win vs. Penn State last weekend, the Buckeyes improved to 9-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play this spring. The Buckeyes took a 1-0 advantage, claiming the doubles point for the eighth time this season. Anna Sanford and Miho Kowase notched straight set victories on courts one and four, respectively, before Ferny Angeles Paz clinched the team win with a three-set triumph on court five. Sandy Niehaus closed out the afternoon, rallying to a three-set victory at No. 3.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
?Rutgers will kick off a four-match homestand vs. the Buckeyes and will defend a 3-1 ledger at home. Rutgers is 0-3 in iots inaugural year in the B1G, recording losses vs. Maryland, Iowa and Michigan State. Last time out, the Scarlet Knights split their weekday matches vs. Buffalo and College of Charleston Monday and Tuesday to improve to 6-6 overall this spring.
Ohio State is 1-2 all-time vs. Rutgers. The two squads last met March 22, 1989, an 8-1 loss for the Buckeyes.
A LOOK AT MARYLAND
?In their first year competing in the Big Ten Conference, 47th-ranked Maryland is 2-0 with league wins vs. Nebraska and Rutgers. Both results were Terrapin sweeps, 7-0. Maryland is enjoying a six-match win streak heading into the weekend. They will face Penn State Friday before taking the courts vs. the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is 4-1 all-time vs. Maryland. The Buckeyes and Terrapins last squared off March 8, 2003, when the Buckeyes posted a 4-3 win at Maryland.
SCOUTING UMBC?
Competing for the first time in program history, Ohio State and UMBC will meet in the second match of the Sunday doubleheader in Maryland. The Retrievers are 3-8 on the season with three straight losses in nonconference play. UMBC will face Hartford Sunday morning before taking on the Buckeyes.
IN THE RANKINGS
?The Buckeyes were ranked No. 22 in the latest ITA poll released Monday. The sophomore tandem of Gabriella De Santis and Sandy Niehaus remain No. 24 with the next poll set to be released March 24. The duo is 5-3 in dual matches this spring with a 4-2 record on court one.
DE SANTIS NAMED B1G ATHLETE OF THE WEEK?
Sophomore Gabriella De Santis earned her second career B1G Athlete of the Week laurels March 10 after collecting a pair of wins at No. 1 singles vs. Northwestern and Illinois. The Caracas, Venezuela, native defeated Northwestern’s Alicia Barnett in straight sets on court one to push the Buckeyes to a 6-1 victory at home. After dropping the first set on the road to Illinois’ Melissa Kopinski, De Santis rallied to earn a three-set victory, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, and clinch the Buckeye victory vs. the Illini. She was previously recognized last season on April 1, 2014.
IN A NUTSHELL
? Ohio State owns a 46-22 (.676) record in singles and 19-9 (.679) record in doubles during dual matches this spring.
? Ohio State is 8-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play when collecting the doubles point.
? Niehaus leads the Buckeyes with 10 wins in singles competition.
? Niehaus and Angeles Paz have notched a singles win in each B1G match this spring, earning a 3-0 record. O’Neill is 2-0 in league play and Kowase, Sanford and DeSantis are all 2-1.
? The Buckeyes are 4-1 on the road this season and have a 5-5 mark vs. ranked opponents overall.
UP NEXT?
The Buckeyes return to Columbus to host Purdue at 3 p.m. March 27. The Buckeyes have won 16 of the last 17 matches at home.
