No. 10 Buckeyes on to B1G Tourney Championship Match

Saturday, April 29

West Lafayette, Ind.

Ohio State

Illinois (Big Ten Tournament Semifinals) **

No. 10 Buckeyes on to B1G Tourney Championship Match

No. 10 Buckeyes on to B1G Tourney Championship Match

4/29/2023 6:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 10 Ohio State women's tennis team shut out Illinois, 4-0, to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship match. Ohio State captured the doubles point with wins on courts two and one and then notched three straight-set singles victories to down the No. 3 seed Illini in the semifinals.

Irina Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff paired up to clinch the doubles point, as it came down to a tiebreak on court one. Cantos Siemers, Lucia Marzal and Danielle Willson all won in the singles, while Isabelle Boulais and Shelly Bereznyak also won in doubles vs. the Illini (18-9).

Ohio State, the No. 2 seed, improves to 20-6 on the year, hitting the 20-win mark for the third season in a row. The Buckeyes will take on No. 1 seed Michigan for the Big Ten Tournament title at noon Sunday. Ohio State is looking for the program's fourth conference tournament title (2016, '17, '21). This is the third year in a row the Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet in the conference final.

In Doubles

The doubles point was decided in a tiebreak on court one, with Ohio State prevailing.
The Buckeye duo of Isabelle Boulais and Shelly Bereznyak won 6-3 against Josie Frazier and Ashley Yeah to put the Scarlet and Gray on the board.
On court three, Violeta Martinez and Kida Ferrari won the final three games to defeat the Buckeye duo of Kolie Allen and Danielle Willson, 7-5.
The Ohio State duo of Irina Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff faced Megan Heuser and Emily Casati on court one. The Buckeyes were down 2-5 but won three games in a row to even the match. The Illini broke on the no-ad point for a 6-5 lead but Ohio State broke back to force a tiebreak. Ohio State jumped out to a 3-0 lead and won the breaker, 7-1, to secure the doubles point.

In Singles

Ohio State won four first sets and closed out the first three completed matches for the semifinal win.
On court one, No. 20-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers dropped just two games in the first set en route to a 6-2, 6-0 win over No. 91 Ashley Yeah.
Lucia Marzal followed, as she notched a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kasia Treiber on court four.
Danielle Willson clinched the Buckeye victory. On court six against Kida Ferrari, Willson won the first set, 6-1. In the second she won the first four games; Ferrari drew the match to 5-4 but Willson served out the set for the win, 6-4.
The remaining matches were suspended. Shelly Bereznyak won the first set and was ahead in the second on court five. On court two Sydni Ratliff dropped the first and was behind in the second and on court three Isabelle Boulais was leading in the second after losing the first.
Marzal is now 17-2 on the year, while Cantos Siemers is 15-4. Willson improved her dual match record to 10-0.

The Results
Illinois vs Ohio State
Apr 29 at West Lafayette, Ind.

#10 Ohio State 4, #36 Illinois 0

Singles competition
1. #20 Irina Cantos Siemers (OSU) def. #91 Ashley Yeah (ILL) 6-2, 6-0
2. #34 Sydni Ratliff (OSU) vs. Megan Heuser (ILL) 5-7, 0-2, unfinished
3. Isabelle Boulais (OSU) vs. Josie Frazier (ILL) 3-6, 3-2, unfinished
4. Lucia Marzal (OSU) def. Kasia Treiber (ILL) 6-3, 6-1
5. #94 Shelly Bereznyak (OSU) vs. Violeta Martinez (ILL) 6-2, 2-1, unfinished
6. Danielle Willson (OSU) def. Kida Ferrari (ILL) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. #33 Irina Cantos Siemers/Sydni Ratliff (OSU) def. Megan Heuser/Emily Casati (ILL) 7-6 (7-1)
2. Isabelle Boulais/Shelly Bereznyak (OSU) def. Josie Frazier/Ashley Yeah (ILL) 6-3
3. Violeta Martinez/Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Kolie Allen/Danielle Willson (OSU) 7-5

Match Notes:
Illinois 18-9; National ranking #36
Ohio State 20-6; National ranking #10
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,4,6)
Big Ten Tournament Semifinal
OSU No. 2 seed, ILL No. 3 seed
T-2:08