B1G Weekend Ahead for No. 17 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Michigan and No. 50 Michigan State – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 15, 2015
RELATED INFO
· 2015 Ohio State Women’s Tennis Schedule
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 17 Ohio State women’s tennis team (17-4, 9-0 B1G) is set for a B1G weekend ahead as it welcomes No. 14 Michigan, and No. 50 Michigan State to Columbus, Ohio, to close out its home slate. In a battle of B1G unbeatens, Ohio State will face off vs. Michigan, the only remaining undefeated conference opponent, at 3 p.m. Friday. The Buckeyes will conclude home action Sunday vs. Michigan State at noon.
All matches are set to be played outdoors on the Varsity Tennis Courts but will be moved to the Varsity Tennis Center (880 Henderson Road) in the case of inclement weather.
SHARE OF B1G TITLE ON THE LINE
The winner of the Ohio State vs. Michigan match Friday afternoon will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Ohio State shared the regular season title in 2000. The Buckeyes won six unofficial Big Ten titles from 1974-79 before the conference officially sponsored women’s tennis in 1981-82. Michigan has won five straight Big Ten regular season titles.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
· The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 as a team, tying the program high set by the 2010 squad.
· Ohio State has won 11 matches in a row, setting a program record.
· The Buckeyes enter the weekend with 17 wins this season. The program high for a single season is 20 victories (first set in 2010).
· Ohio State has won nine B1G matches for the first time since the 2000 season. It ties Ohio State’s all-time B1G win total for a single campaign.
NIEHAUS NAMED B1G ATHLETE OF THE WEEK APRIL 14
Sophomore Sandy Niehaus was named the B1G Athlete of the Week Tuesday. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native posted a pair of doubles and singles wins vs. Iowa and Nebraska last weekend on the road. She extended her win streak to 10 straight singles matches and is 8-0 in conference singles outings this spring. This is the first career weekly award for Niehaus and the third for the Buckeyes this season. Sophomore Gabriella De Santis previously claimed the honorMarch 10 and 31.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan enters the weekend tied with the Buckeyes at the top of the Big Ten leaderboard with a 9-0 ledger in conference play and is 19-3 overall. The Wolverines have earned 13-straight wins and have not given up more than more than two points to any opponent. . The Wolverines’ roster features three ranked singles players: No. 23 Emina Bektas, No. 31 Ronit Yurovsky and No. 108 Sarah Lee. In doubles, the Michigan duo of Bektas and Alex Najarian owns the No. 18 spot and Lee and Yurovsky check in at No. 79.
Michigan has won the last 14 meetings against the Buckeyes and leads the all-time series, 40-13. The last time Ohio State defeated Michigan was Feb. 16, 2003, a 4-3 victory for the Buckeyes at home.
A LOOK AT THE SPARTANS
Michigan State enters the weekend 16-6 overall and 5-4 in league action. The Spartans are led by Erin Faulkner who is 13-8 at No. 1 singles this season and has posted a team-best six wins in conference play and Lexi Baylis who broke the Spartan record with 28 wins this season. Michigan State will travel to Penn State Friday before coming to Columbus for Sunday’s noon tilt.
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Michigan State, 31-14. Ohio State captured last season’s match, 4-3, at home.
IN A NUTSHELL
· Ohio State has won the doubles point in all nine of its B1G matches this spring.
· The 45th-ranked duo of Gabriella De Santis and Sandy Niehaus are 5-1 against B1G opponents with a 9-3 record in dual matches on court one.
· Sophomore Sandy Niehaus and junior Grainne O’Neill are undefeated in B1G singles play at 8-0 and 6-0 respectively.
· The sophomore tandem of Ferny Angeles Paz and Miho Kowase are 6-0 in doubles conference contests.
· The Scarlet and Gray are 9-4 vs. ranked opponents.
FOUR BUCKEYES HONORED AS SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Four members of the Ohio State women’s tennis team were named Ohio State Scholar-Athletes Tuesday. The honor is given to student-athletes who achieve a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or higher. Redshirt junior Nicole Flower, a sport industry major, earned the fourth honor of her career. Sophomores Ferny Angeles Paz and Miho Kowase were named Scholar-Athletes for the second-straight year, while freshman neuroscience major Anna Sanford was recognized as a Scholar-Athlete for the first time in her career. A total of 538 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes were recognized at the annual dinner.
UP NEXT
Ohio State will move on to postseason play at the Big Ten Tournament. This year’s edition of the tournament, hosted by Northwestern, will be held in Evanston, Ill., April 23-26. The Top 10 teams in the final B1G standings will compete for the title. Ohio State has clinched a Top 4 spot and will open play Friday as one of the Top 4 seeds. The final bracket will be announced after the completion of conference matches Sunday.
