Ohio State’s De Santis Named ITA Midwest Player to Watch – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 12, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gabriella De Santis, a sophomore on the Ohio State women’s tennis team, was honored as the ITA Player to Watch for the Midwest Region, the Intercollegiate Tennis Assocation (ITA) announced Tuesday. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree is the first Buckeye to receive the selection since former Buckeyes Monica Rincon and Kristy Dascoli were previously recognized with the Midwest Player to Watch honor in 2000 and 1998, respectively.
De Santis continued the momentum from her breakout freshman season into her sophomore campaign, leading Ohio State with 11 wins at No. 1 singles and tying with a team-best nine singles wins in conference outings. Alongside sophomore Sandy Niehaus, the Caracas, Venezuela, product led the Scarlet and Gray with 20 overall wins in doubles play and tied for a team-best six wins in conference outings . The duo went 13-5 on court one this spring, ranking as high as No. 24 in the ITA poll.
She was recognized as the Big Ten Athlete of the Week twice by the conference office on March 10 and 31 as well as one of two Buckeyes to be named to the All-Big Ten Team this season. The honor marks her second career accolade from the ITA. De Santis was named the ITA Midwest Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of her freshman campaign.
Overall, the Buckeyes rewrote the record books this season, finishing the 2015 slate with a 20-7 record. The Buckeyes, who finished second in the Big Ten with a program-best 10 wins in league play, made a championship run at the Big Ten Tournament before falling to top seed Michigan in the final match. The 20 team victories tied a program record as the squad earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season.
