No. 2 Buckeyes Set to Take on Instate Foes Wednesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 8, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 2 Ohio State women’s team (13-1, 1-0 B1G) is set to host a doubleheader vs. Dayton (9-4) and Cincinnati (7-3) Wednesday. The Buckeyes and Flyers will meet at 2 p.m. INDOORS at the Varsity Tennis Center (wind has forced the match inside). The Buckeyes and Bearcats will face off at 6 p.m. in the Varsity Tennis Center. Admission to both matches is free.
Live scoring is available for both matches HERE, with video available HERE.
If the weather is questionable on any home match day, fans are encouraged to check the Buckeyes’ Twitter account (@OhioState_WTEN) for updated location information.
IN THE RANKINGS
After a week at No. 1, the Buckeyes were ranked second in the ITA poll released Tuesday. The No. 1 ranking was the first for the Buckeyes in program history.
Freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo moved to No. 3 from the No. 1 position in the ITA singles rankings. Junior Sandy Niehaus and sophomore Olivia Sneed check in at No. 91 and No. 113, respectively.
The tandem of sophomore Anna Sanford and junior Miho Kowase are ranked a program-record second this week, moving up from No. 4. The pair of juniors Ferny Angeles Paz and Sandy Niehaus checks in at No. 38, while Kowase and Sneed are ranked 73rd (tied).
Among Big Ten teams, No. 6 Michigan joins Ohio State in the Top 10. Other ranked B1G teams include No. 39 Northwestern, No. 48 Minnesota, No. 50 Indiana, No. 68 Illinois and No. 62 Purdue.
The Buckeye squad began the spring ranked 18th in the first two polls before moving to a then-program record 16th Jan. 27. A win over Michigan, before victories over Fresno State and Vanderbilt at the ITA National Team Indoors, moved the Buckeyes to sixth in the Feb. 10 poll, the first time the program was in the Top 10. A second win over defending NCAA champion Vanderbilt moved the Buckeyes to fifth nationally Feb. 17. The last three polls have been generated by a computer, with the latest putting Ohio State second, behind No. 1 Cal by .6 points.
A LOOK AT THE FLYERS
The Dayton Flyers are 9-4 overall this season and 5-3 in road matches. Dayton defeated Bradley at home Friday, 4-3, in its last time out. Jade Kawamoto and Jackie Kawamoto lead the team with eight singles dual wins each, while Marlys Bridgham is 6-6 at No. 1 singles.
The Buckeyes are 2-0 overall vs. Dayton. The Buckeyes and Flyers last squared off in 2012, when Ohio State swept Dayton 7-0 in Columbus.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati is 7-3 overall this season and 4-1 on the road. Last weekend, the Bearcats fell to Ball State, 4-3. Ali Miller is 10-0 for the Bearcats at Nos. 1 (7-0) and 2 (3-0) in dual matches. Lauren Bellinger is 8-2 this season, with a 2-1 mark at No. 1 and 6-1 mark at No. 2.
Ohio State is 17-0 all-time against Cincinnati. The Scarlet and Gray and Bearcats last met in 2013, a 6-1 Buckeye victory in Columbus.
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeyes defeated the No. 46-ranked Baylor Bears Saturday, 4-0. Ohio State gained the 1-0 advantage going into singles after clinching the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. The Buckeye doubles duo of Miho Kowase and Anna Sanford prevailed over the Bears’ No. 15-ranked duo in a tiebreaker to clinch the doubles point.
Freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo posted the first single win for the Buckeyes on court one dropping only four games. Sophomore Olivia Sneed came from behind on court six to notch the second victory for the Scarlet and Gray. After claiming the first set in a tiebreak victory, Gabriella De Santis rolled through the second set on court four to secure the Ohio State win. Play on courts two, three and five was suspended.
BUCKEYE THIS AND THAT
• Going into this week, sophomore Olivia Sneed leads the Buckeyes with 12 dual match victories, followed by junior Ferny Angeles Paz with 11 and freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo with 10. Di Lorenzo and Angeles Paz are tied for overall victories this season with 19 each, followed by Sneed with 17.
• In doubles, the tandem of Francesca Di Lorenzo and Olivia Sneed leads the squad with 12 wins as a team and remains undefeated.
• Kowase has a team-best of 19 doubles victories on the year, followed by Sanford and Sneed with 17 each and Paz with 15.
• The Buckeyes are 58-17 in singles dual matches this season with a 27-8 mark in doubles. Ohio State has won the doubles point in 11 of 14 dual matches this spring, including in each of the last seven.
• Sneed has won six matches in a row, while Angeles Paz is on a five-match winning streak.
• Kowase and Sanford have won six matches in a row, with five of the wins over ranked opponents, including three Top 15 teams. Three of their last six wins have been in a tiebreaker.
UP NEXT
Ohio State will have this weekend off before traveling to face No. 9 Miami March 16. After a match at Wisconsin March 18, the Buckeyes will host B1G foe Minnesota March 20. The match vs. the Gophers is scheduled to be played outdoors at the Varsity Tennis Courts.
