. 10 Buckeyes Drop Heartbreaker to No. 1 Georgia in ITA Indoors Final, 4-3

Tuesday, February 10

Evanston, Ill.

7:30 p.m. ET

Ohio State

Georgia (Final)

. 10 Buckeyes Drop Heartbreaker to No. 1 Georgia in ITA Indoors Final, 4-3

2/10/2026 11:24:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

Ohio State was making first appearance in championship match

COLUMBUS, Ohio –The No. 5 seed and No. 10-ranked Ohio State women's tennis team battled to the end, falling to No. 1 ranked and No. 2-seed Georgia, 4-3, in the championship match of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

Ohio State (5-1) was making its first appearance in the tournament final, while the Bulldogs (5-1) won the title for the second consecutive year. The Buckeyes' run to the championship match included victories over No. 4 seed and No. 7 ranked Duke, No. 1 seed and No. 3 ranked North Carolina and No. 3 seed and No. 2 ranked Texas A&M.

In the final, Georgia earned the doubles point and won the first completed singles match on court four to take a 2-0 lead. Teah Chavez put the Buckeyes on the board with a straight set win on court two. Georgia won the court six match for a 3-1 lead. Ohio State's Luciana Perry (court one) and Audrey Spencer (court five) both won their matches for a 3-3 team score. The match came down to a third set tiebreak on court three, with Georgia prevailing.

Chavez and Spencer were both 4-0 in singles in the tournament.

Up Next

The Buckeyes' return home to host No. 9 NC State at 6 p.m. Friday in the Ty Tucker Tennis Center. Admission and parking are free.
The squad will then play at Penn State at 11 a.m. Sunday in University Park, Pa.

How it Happened

Georgia opened the match with a 1-0 lead, winning the doubles matches on courts two (6-1) and one (6-4).
The Bulldogs went ahead 2-0 with a court four win from Anastasiia Gureva over Nao Nishino.
No. 13-ranked Teah Chavez put the Buckeyes on the board, defeating No. 4-ranked Aysegul Mert, 7-5, 6-4, on court two. Chavez won the final four games in set one. In the second set, the Buckeye was up 4-1 but the Bulldog got back on serve. A hold and a break gave Chavez the match.
On court six, No. 42-ranked Sofia Rojas defeated Buckeye freshman Hephzibah Oluwadare, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Luciana Perry, ranked No. 3, was a straight set winner on court one over No. 74 Anastasiia Lopata to cut the Bulldog lead to 3-2. Perry was up a break early in the first set but Lopata evened the match at four. The players traded holds and the Bulldog then broke for a 6-5 advantage, but Perry broke back to force the tiebreak, where she raced out to a 4-0 lead and won 7-4. In the second set, the Buckeye broke for a 3-2 lead and held the advantage to take the set, 6-4.
Audrey Spencer tied the team score, defeating Emma Dong on court five, 6-4, 7-6 (7). Spencer rallied from down 1-4 in the first set, winning the final five games. In the second set, Spencer had an early break, with Dong leveling the match at four games apiece. Each player held the next four games for a tiebreak. Spencer fought off two set points and went on to win, 9-7.
The match came down to a third set tiebreak on court three between No. 23 Deniz Dilek and No. 114 Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev. The Bulldog posted a shutout in the first set and then led 2-0 to start the second. Cisse-Ignatiev battled back to take the second set, 6-4, winning the final two games and ending with a break. In the third set, the Buckeye was up 4-1 before a four-game run by Dilek, capped by a break, put the Bulldog up 5-4. The Buckeye broke back and each player then held for the tiebreak. In the breaker, Cisse-Ignatiev was up early. Dilek battled back, facing two match points, and eventually won, 9-7.

Up Next

The Buckeyes' next home match is against No. 9 NC State at 6 p.m. Friday in the Ty Tucker Tennis Center. Admission and parking are free.
The squad will then play at Penn State at 11 a.m. Sunday in University Park, Pa.

The Results
Ohio State vs Georgia
2/10/2026 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)

#1 Georgia 4, #10 Ohio State 3

Singles competition
1. #3 Luciana Perry (OSU) def. #74 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
2. #13 Teah Chavez (OSU) def. #4 Aysegul Mert (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
3. #23 Deniz Dilek (UGA) def. #114 Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev (OSU) 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7)
4. #33 Anastasiia Gureva (UGA) def. #52 Nao Nishino (OSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Audrey Spencer (OSU) def. Emma Dong (UGA) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
6. #42 Sofia Rojas (UGA) def. Hephzibah Oluwadare (OSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Deniz Dilek/Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. #13 Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez (OSU) 6-4
2. Anastasiia Lopata/Patricija Paukstyte (UGA) def. #55 Luciana Perry/Flora Johnson (OSU) 6-1
3. Emma Dong/Anastasiia Gureva (UGA) vs. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev/Audrey Spencer (OSU) 5-5, unfinished

Match Notes:
Ohio State 5-1; National ranking #10
Georgia 5-1; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,2,6,1,5,3)
ITA National Team Indoor Championship Final
Georgia No. 2 seed, Ohio State No.5
T-3:00