Ohio State
North Carolina (semifinals)
No. 6 Seed Buckeyes Fall to No. 2 UNC, 4-3, in ITA Indoors Semifinals
2/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 12, 2017
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 7-ranked Ohio State women’s tennis team’s run at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship ended Sunday with a 4-3 loss to No. 2 ranked and No. 2 seed UNC.
In the semifinal match, the doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on court three, with the Tar Heels winning for a 1-0 lead. In singles, UNC won the first completed match before back-to-back Buckeye wins by seniors Miho Kowase and Sandy Niehaus tied the score at two. The Tar Heels pushed ahead 3-2 but Buckeye senior Ferny Angeles Paz rallied to win the last two sets to deadlock the team score at three. The match came down to court one and a battle of Top 5 ranked players. Buckeye Francesca Di Lorenzo, ranked No. 1, won the second set to force a third, but No. 5-ranked Hayley Carter prevailed, 6-4, to claim the team victory.
The loss was Ohio State’s first of the season, as the squad is now 7-1. At the ITA Indoor Championship, the Buckeyes topped No. 14-ranked Auburn in the first round and No. 5-ranked and No. 3 seed Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. Ohio State was making its third appearance at the tournament and its second consecutive in the semifinals.
“North Carolina played a great match,” Melissa Schaub, Ohio State head coach, said. “We fought hard and gave ourselves chances but just came up short in the end. We will use this to learn from and get better. There is a lot of season ahead of us.”
Next up, the Buckeyes will return home for two matches against Big Ten foes, hosting No. 13 Michigan at 3 p.m. Friday and Penn State at noon Sunday inside the Varsity Tennis Center. Admission to both matches is free.
In doubles, the Tar Heels’ No. 2-ranked tandem of Hayley Carter and Sara Daavetilla topped the Ohio State pair of Niehaus and junior Anna Sanford on court one, 6-2. The Scarlet and Gray answered with a 6-4 win by Di Lorenzo and Kowase over the No. 42-ranked duo of Jessie Aney and Cassandra Vazquez on court two, their second win over a ranked team in the tournament. The Tar Heels clinched the doubles point on court three when Alexa Graham and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer came from behind to top junior Olivia Sneed and Angeles Paz on court three in a tiebreak, 7-6 (5).
UNC went up 2-0 when No. 17 Anney posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 68 senior Gabriella De Santis on court three. The Buckeyes got on the board as No. 84 Kowase defeated No. 60 Makenna Jones on court five in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, extending her winning streak to six. On court four, Niehaus notched a three-set victory, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, over No. 48 Graham to tie the match at 2-2.
The Tar Heels answered quickly when No. 2 Daavetilla rallied to beat No. 55 Sanford on court two in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
After dropping the first set on court six to Ouellet Pizer, Angeles Paz rallied for a three set victory (4-6, 6-1, 6-4) to tie the match at three. The Buckeye senior has won eight matches in a row.
On court one, No. 1 Di Lorenzo dropped a close first set to No. 5 Carter, 4-6, but claimed the second 6-4. With Carter serving for the match, Di Lorenzo battled back from 0-40 to force the deuce point, but Carter won the next point for the game, set and match, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. The loss was Di Lorenzo’s first of the year, ending her 15-match winning streak, and she has lost just four sets this season. It was her first loss in collegiate action to Carter, after winning the first three matches between the players, including the final at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championship in the fall.
Ohio State vs North Carolina
Feb 12, 2017 at New Haven, Conn.
(Culman-Heyman Tennis Center)
#2 North Carolina 4, #7 Ohio State 3
Singles competition
1. #5 Hayley Carter (UNC) def. #1 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. #2 Sara Daavettila (UNC) def. #55 Anna Sanford (OSU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
3. #17 Jessie Aney (UNC) def. #68 Gabriella De Santis (OSU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Sandy Niehaus (OSU) def. #48 Alexa Graham (UNC) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
5. #84 Miho Kowase (OSU) def. #60 Makenna Jones (UNC) 6-2, 7-5
6. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) def. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Hayley Carter/Sara Daavettila (UNC) def. Anna Sanford/Sandy Niehaus (OSU) 6-2
2. Francesca Di Lorenzo/Miho Kowase (OSU) def. #42 Jessie Aney/Cassandra Vazquez (UNC) 6-4
3. Alexa Graham/Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) def. Ferny Angeles Paz/Olivia Sneed (OSU) 7-6 (7-5)
Match Notes:
Ohio State 7-1; National ranking #7
North Carolina 8-0; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,5,4,2,6,1)
ITA National Team Indoor Championship semifinal
Ohio State No. 6 seed
North Carolina No. 2 seed
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,5,4,2,6,1
