No. 18 Ohio State Set to Compete in B1G Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 22, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 18 Ohio State women’s tennis team is set to begin postseason play at the 2015 B1G Tournament Friday in Evanston, Ill. The Buckeyes, who are the No. 2 seed in the tournament and earned a first round bye, will play the winner of the match between No. 7 Purdue and No. 10 Wisconsin at 3 p.m. ET Friday in quarterfinal action at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The Boilermakers and Badgers will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday.
TOURNAMENT BASICS
The 2015 edition of the B1G Tournament will be hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., with all matches to be played at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The Buckeyes, who finished the season with a 10-1 record in B1G play, are the No. 2 seed and receive a first-round bye into the quarterfinals. The semifinals are set for 11 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET Saturday with the championship to be held at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. The winner clinches the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
The championship match will be televised by BTN at 7:30 p.m. ET May 12.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS AND BADGERS
The Buckeyes edged Purdue, 4-3, March 27 in Columbus, Ohio. Miho Kowase and Ferny Angeles Paz secured the doubles point for the Scarlet and Gray on court two. Sandy Niehaus notched the first point for the Buckeyes on court three, while Gabriella De Santis claimed a straight-set victory on court one. Olivia Sneed sealed the team win with a second set tiebreaker victory at No. 6.
Ohio State and Wisconsin did not meet this spring in the regular season. The Buckeyes claimed a 6-1 victory in 2014 with Wisconsin leading the all-time series, 31-13.
2014 B1G TOURNAMENT REWIND
Competing as the No. 3 seed, the Buckeyes made a semifinal run at the 2014 B1G Tournament. The Buckeyes swept No. 6-seed Minnesota, 4-0, in quarterfinal action after earning the doubles point and singles wins from Nicole Flower, Miho Kowase and Sandy Niehaus. The win marked the first semifinal appearance for the Scarlet and Gray since 2011. The Buckeyes dropped a 4-0 decision to host Northwestern in the semifinals. The Wildcats advanced to the championship, defeating No. 1 seed Michigan to earn the tournament crown for the second-straight season.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Ohio State set a new standard this season, setting and tying several program bests this season. The Buckeyes posted a program-best 10 wins in conference play this season to finish second in the Big Ten. Including wins from last season, the Buckeyes tied the program high of 14 straight wins at home before falling to Baylor March 1. The loss sparked an 11-match win streak for the Buckeyes, a program best. The team’s No. 17 ranking ties a program high, while Ohio State’s nine consecutive road wins this season is a new program high. Ohio State is two wins shy of tying the program’s single season wins record (20).
The Buckeyes were recognized as B1G Athlete of the Week three times this season for the first time in program history. Gabriella De Santis earned the honor twice (March 10 and 31), while Sandy Niehaus was recognized April 14.
DOUBLES DOMINANCE
Ohio State clinched the doubles point in 10 of 11 matches and is 10-0 against B1G opponents when earning the first point of the match this spring. The sophomore tandem of Miho Kowase and Ferny Angeles Paz is 6-0 on court two in B1G doubles matches this spring. The duo went 14-0 in dual matches and 7-0 in B1G matches during their freshman campaign.
The 48th-ranked doubles team of Sandy Niehaus and Gabriella De Santis is 18-8 overall with a 6-2 ledger in B1G outings. The duo has earned a team-best three victories vs. ranked doubles opponents.
SINGLES STATS
· Sophomores Gabriella De Santis, Miho Kowase and Sandy Niehaus earned a team-best nine wins in conference singles play.
· Junior Grainne O’Neill was 7-0 in B1G singles matches and has won eight consecutive matches.
· Niehaus earned her 20th win this season vs. Michigan State. It is the second time in her career she has earned at least 20 wins and has amassed 52 wins in her first two seasons as a Buckeye.
COACHING CORNER
Ohio State is 47-28 under third-year head coach Melissa Schaub with a 21-12 record in B1G contests. She led the Buckeyes to a 19-9 record in 2014, one win shy of the program record, en route to a third-place finish in the B1G and the squad’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Four members of the Ohio State women’s tennis team were named Ohio State Scholar-Athletes. The honor is given to student-athletes who achieve a minimum 3.0 grade point average. 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 and 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 lauded at the annual dinner.
