Ohio State
UCLA (Second Round)
No. 4 Buckeyes on to Round of 16 with 4-1 Win over UCLA – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 14, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4-seed Ohio State women’s tennis has advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 for the first time in program history, downing UCLA 4-1 Saturday inside the Varsity Tennis Center.
The No. 4-ranked Buckeyes dropped the doubles point against the No. 27-ranked Bruins but won four singles matches in straight sets for the team victory. Ohio State is now 30-2 on the year and has won its last 15 matches, dropping four team points during the streak. The squad ends its home slate 15-0 and extends its record home winning streak to 16.
Ohio State will take on No. 17 Georgia Tech in the tournament Round of 16 at 8 p.m. ET Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Buckeyes and Yellow Jackets met in Columbus Feb. 14, with Ohio State posting a 6-1 win. Georgia Tech defeated No. 13 seed South Carolina on the road in the second round of the NCAA tourney.
The teams split the first two doubles matches with 6-2 scores on each. On court three, Buckeye sophomore Olivia Sneed and freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo won over Maia Magill and Kristin Wiley to improve to 25-2 on the year. On court one, sophomore Anna Sanford and junior Miho Kowase, ranked ninth, fell to the seventh-ranked tandem of Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips.
The doubles point came down to court two. The No. 58-ranked Buckeye duo of juniors Sandy Niehaus and Gabriella De Santis fought back from a 5-2 deficit against Terri Fleming and Alaina Miller to even the match at 5-all. UCLA held the next game, followed by a Buckeye hold to force a tiebreaker. The Buckeyes, who had one match point in the tiebreak, fought off three match points but the Bruin tandem claimed a 10-8 victory to put UCLA up 1-0.
Niehaus, ranked 81st, made quick work of her match on court six, downing Magill, 6-3, 6-0, to tie the match at one. She is 12-0 in dual matches this spring. Kowase followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Miller on court four. Kowase has a 22-2 dual match ledger.
On court two, No. 89-ranked Sanford posted a 6-3, 6-4 victory over McPhillips to move the Buckeyes one point from victory. She is on an 11-match winning streak and is 20-5 in dual matches.
On court one, Di Lorenzo, the nation’s third-ranked player, prevailed in a matchup of Top 20 players to clinch the team victory. Facing No. 17-ranked Harrison, Di Lorenzo broke to win the first set 7-5 and then won the second 6-3. She is 34-4 overall this year and 25-3 in dual matches.
Di Lorenzo won 7-5, 6-3 on court 1, clinching the Buckeyes’ 4-1 #NCAATennis win over UCLA. @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/hF1PT60Z6i
— Ohio State W Tennis (@OhioState_WTEN) May 14, 2016
The final two matches were abandoned. On court three, No. 96-ranked De Santis won the first set and the second was headed to a tiebreaker tied at six. On court five, junior Ferny Angeles Paz battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the first set to win 7-6 and was then ahead 3-2 in the second.
UCLA vs Ohio State
May 14, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio
(Varsity Tennis Center)
#4 Ohio State 4, #27 UCLA 1
Singles competition
1. #3 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) def. #17 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) 7-5, 6-3
2. #89 Anna Sanford (OSU) def. Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
3. #96 Gabriella De Santis (OSU) vs. Terri Fleming (UCLA) 6-3, 6-6, unfinished
4. Miho Kowase (OSU) def. Alaina Miller (UCLA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) vs. Kristin Wiley (UCLA) 7-6, 3-2, unfinished
6. #81 Sandy Niehaus (OSU) def. Maia Magill (UCLA) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #7 Catherine Harrison/Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. #9 Anna Sanford/Miho Kowase (OSU) 6-2
2. Terri Fleming/Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. #58 Gabriella De Santis/Sandy Niehaus (OSU) 7-6 (10-8)
3. Olivia Sneed/Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) def. Maia Magill/Kristin Wiley (UCLA) 6-2
Match Notes:
UCLA 15-7; National ranking #27
Ohio State 30-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,4,2,1)
Official: Jeri Banks A-237
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,4,2,1
