NCAA Quarterfinals Up Next for No. 4 Buckeyes
5/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 20, 2016
Tournament Central | Live scoring & video
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s tennis team will take on Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship at 5 p.m. ET Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The No. 4 seed Buckeyes (31-2) posted a 4-2 win over Georgia Tech in the Round of 16 to advance, while the No. 12 ranked Cowgirls defeated No. 5 seed Georgia 4-0 in their Round of 16 match. Live video and scoring is available online at streamingtennis.com/Tulsa.
The Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is serving as the host of the NCAA Championships. All four women’s auarterfinal matches are slated for Saturday, with the semifinals Monday and championship match Tuesday.
How the Buckeyes Advanced
- Ohio State, the No. 4 seed, downed No. 17-ranked Georgia Tech late Saturday night, 4-2. Weather postponed the start of the match, which was moved indoors to Oklahoma State’s indoor facility in Stillwater.
- The Buckeyes opened the match with the doubles point. Courts two and three both jumped out to 4-0 leads. On court two, juniors Gabriella De Santis and Sandy Niehaus did not drop a game and on court three, freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo and sophomore Olivia Sneed won 6-2 to clinch the point. After Niehaus posted a quick 6-2, 6-2, win on court two, the Yellow Jackets won the next two singles matches to tie the team score at two.
- On court one, Di Lorenzo, the nation’s third-ranked player, defeated No. 34-ranked Johnnise Renaud, 6-4, 6-3 to put the Buckeyes back ahead.
- Junior Miho Kowase clinched the match with a victory on court four. Kowase won the first set 6-4 but was down 4-1 in the second. She battled back to get on serve and won the last three games for a 7-5 set win.
- Ohio State was making the first NCAA Round of 16 appearance in program history.
Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament
- Ohio State is making its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and the 13th appearance in program history.
- This is the first year Ohio State is a Top 16 seed and the first time the team hosted first and second round matches.
- The Buckeyes will be represented in the team, singles and doubles championships for the first time since 2001 and the third time in program history (1999, ’00, ’01).
- Ohio State is 6-12 all-time in NCAA matches after winning its first three matches this year. The squad reached the second round three times – 2010, 2004 and 2000 – before this year’s quarterfinals appearance.
- This season, the Buckeyes played eight matches against teams that joined them in the Round of 16, going 6-2 in those contests. Ohio State has two wins over both Vanderbilt (4-3 Feb. 6 at National Indoors, 4-2 Feb. 13 in Columbus) and Michigan (4-2 Jan. 31 in Ann Arbor, 4-2 May 1 in the B1G Tournament final), defeated Pepperdine (4-3 Jan. 22 in For Worth Texas) and Georgia Tech (6-1 Feb. 14 in Columbus) and lost to California (4-3 Feb. 7 in National Indoors) and Miami (4-2 March 16 in Coral Gables). Michigan, California, Vanderbilt and Pepperdine join the Buckeyes in the quarterfinals.
OSU vs. OSU
- Ohio State and Oklahoma State have met just once, a 5-2 Cowgirl victory in the consolation round of the 2001 ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Madison, Wis.
- In the fall, the Buckeye duo of Anna Sanford and Miho Kowase topped Oklahoma State’s duo of Maria Alvarez and Kelsey Laurente, 6-4, 6-3, in consolation play of the ITA National Indoor Championships.
A Look at Oklahoma State
- Oklahoma State is 27-4 this season after downing No. 5 seed Georgia, 4-0, Thursday in the NCAA Round of 16. The squad has not dropped a point in its NCAA matches, defeating Albany and Tulsa at home in the first and second rounds, respectively.
- The squad won the outright Big 12 regular season title and also claimed the conference tournament crown.
- The Cowgirls have three ranked doubles teams: No. 43 Kelsey Laurente and Maria Alvarez, No. 54 Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari and No. 79 Katarina Adamovic and Vladica Babic. In singles, Babic is ranked 44th, Adamovic is 47th and Lushkova is No. 66.
Buckeye Notes to Know
- The Buckeyes are 31-2 on the year, with the only two losses to Cal in the National Team Indoor semifinals Feb. 7 and at Miami March 16. The team is 18-2 vs. ranked teams this season. The 31 wins are a program record, topping the 20 set in 2010 and ’15.
- Ohio State enters the NCAA quarterfinals on a 16-match winning streak, setting the program record for consecutive wins. The old mark was 10 wins in a row, set in 2015.
- Ohio State has a program-record 18 shutouts this season, including in 12 of the last 16 outings. The squad has dropped just six team points during its current 16-match winning streak.
- Buckeyes Francesca Di Lorenzo (14) and Sandy Niehaus (13) enter the NCAA quarterfinals with double-digit winning streaks in singles.
- Ohio State has won the doubles point in 28 matches this season, including 24 of the last 26.
- Ohio State is ranked fourth as a team in the most current ITA rankings (May 5). The squad has been ranked in the Top 6 the last 14 weeks (beginning Feb. 10). The team was 18th in the first two rankings before moving to a then-program best No. 16 Jan. 27 and into the Top 10 the next week. The Buckeyes hit No. 1 Feb. 29, the first time in program history the team was ranked first.
- With an 11-0 ledger in Big Ten matches, Ohio State claimed the outright Big Ten regular season title, giving the Buckeyes their first Big Ten championship. The squad allowed just one team point (doubles vs. Northwestern) and outscored its conference foes 69-1.
- Ohio State defeated Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan to capture the program’s first Big Ten Tournament championship.
Buckeye Drop Shots
- Francesca Di Lorenzo (Fr., New Albany, Ohio): Ranked No. 3 and NCAA singles championship qualifier … won National Indoor Championship in the fall, the first national title for the program … ITA’s top ranked newcomer entering the year and has been ranked in the Top 5 all spring, including time at No. 1 … leads Ohio State with 35-4 ledger, the second-most wins for a Buckeye in a single campaign … 26-3 in dual matches, all at No. 1, with all three losses coming in three sets … current 15-match winning streak … Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten and Midwest Freshman of the Year … 11-0 in Big Ten dual matches … 26-2 doubles dual match record with Olivia Sneed and tandem has won last six outings … clinched team win over Michigan in Big Ten Tournament final and vs. UCLA in NCAA Tournament second round … Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.
- Anna Sanford (So., Westerville, Ohio): Ranked No. 9 in doubles and NCAA doubles championship qualifier … No. 89 in ITA singles rankings … ITA Midwest Region doubles champion with Miho Kowase and reached consolation final at National Indoors … All-Big Ten selection for second straight year and was 10-0 in B1G matches … 23-8 overall and 20-6 in dual matches, with 16-4 mark on court two … 11-match winning streak ended in Round of 16 vs. Georgia Tech … 26-12 in doubles overall, with 18-7 dual ledger (16-7 on court one) … 25-9 overall and 17-7 in dual matches with Kowase … Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and will be Academic All-Big Ten.
- Gabriella De Santis (Jr., Caracas, Venezuela): All-Big Ten selection for third year in a row … ranked No. 96 in ITA singles ratings … 14-14 overall and 12-10 in dual matches … 6-0 in conference play … ranked 58th in doubles with Sandy Niehaus … duo is 13-1 in dual matches this spring, with lone loss to UCLA in a tiebreaker … 16-7 overall in doubles.
- Miho Kowase (Jr., Tokyo, Japan): Ranked No. 9 in doubles and NCAA doubles championship qualifier … ITA Midwest Region doubles champion with Anna Sanford and reached consolation final at National Indoors … All-Big Ten selection for second time in three years … Midwest Region winner of Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship … 23-2 in dual matches, with 12-2 mark on court four … 29-4 overall … clinched NCAA Round of 16 win vs. Georgia Tech … was 8-0 in league play … 27-12 in doubles this season … 25-9 overall and 17-7 in dual matches with Sanford … 76-23 career singles record … Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and will be Academic All-Big Ten.
- Ferny Angeles Paz (Jr., Lima, Peru): Received Big Ten Sportsmanship Award … 30-6 on the year, ranking second on squad and tying for fifth in program history in single season wins … 19-11 overall in doubles, with 8-7 dual match record … Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and will be Academic All-Big Ten.
- Sandy Niehaus (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio): No. 81 in ITA singles rankings … 13-0 in dual matches and 18-3 overall … missed time to start spring with an injury … ranked 58th with De Santis in doubles … tandem is 13-1 in dual matches (playing on all three courts), with only loss to UCLA in a tiebreaker … 28-5 overall in doubles matches this year, with 18-3 dual match ledger … 71-16 in career singles matches.
- Olivia Sneed (So., Prairie Village, Kansas): Ranked No. 113 in ITA singles poll … 26-6 overall and 21-2 dual match ledger in singles … 7-0 vs. conference foes … current eight-match winning streak … leads Buckeyes with 31 doubles wins this season, tied for second in program history for a single campaign … 26-2 doubles dual match record with Di Lorenzo and tandem has won last six outings.
- Head coach Melissa Schaub: Back-to-back B1G Coach of the Year … ITA Midwest Region Coach of the Year … in fourth year at the helm … led squad to three straight NCAA tournaments … All-American at Tennessee … Lexington, Ohio, native.
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