No. 5 Buckeyes on to B1G Tournament Final with 4-2 Win over No. 19 UCLA

Saturday, April 25

Columbus, Ohio

11 a.m.

Ohio State

UCLA (Semifinals)

No. 5 Buckeyes on to B1G Tournament Final with 4-2 Win over No. 19 UCLA

4/25/2026 4:36:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

Ohio State will take on Michigan for the title Sunday in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 5 Ohio State women's tennis team downed No. 19 UCLA, 4-2, Saturday in the Big Ten Tennis Tournament semifinals at the Auer Tennis Complex in Columbus. The No. 1 seed Buckeyes will face No. 3 seed and No. 18-ranked Michigan in the final at noon Sunday in Columbus, with admission and parking free. Ohio State defeated the Wolverines 4-3 in the tournament championship match last year.

Sunday will be the Buckeyes' 10th appearance in the tournament final and the sixth in a row, all against Michigan. Ohio State won the tourney title in 2016, '17, '21 and '25. In the second semifinal Saturday, Michigan downed No. 7 seed Maryland, 4-1.

After dropping the doubles point vs. UCLA (16-7), the Buckeyes got wins from Nao Nishino and Luciana Perry for a 2-1 lead. The Bruins tied the score with a court two win, but Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer picked up straight set victories for the Buckeyes to advance. Ohio State improved to 23-3 on the year.

How it Happened

UCLA captured the doubles point, with wins on courts one and two.
Buckeye Nao Nishino, ranked 76th, rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bianca Fernandez on court four to tie the match at one.
Ohio State's Luciana Perry followed, as the No. 4-ranked Buckeye defeated No. 18 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer on court one, 6-4, 6-2.
The Bruins tied the team score with a straight set win from No. 51 Mayu Crossley over No. 5 Teah Chavez on court two.
No. 124 Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev moved Ohio State back ahead with a 6-0, 7-6 (4) win over Kate Fakih on court three.
Audrey Spencer, ranked 122nd, clinched the team victory, as she downed Olivia Center on court five. Spencer took the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (4). In the second, she broke to win 6-4.
The remaining match between Hephzibah Oluwadare and Ahmani Guichard was suspended with the players in a second set tiebreak after the Bruin won the first set in a tiebreak.
For the Buckeyes, Spencer is 15-1 in singles this spring, with Nishino 14-5, Perry 13-3 and Cisse-Ignatiev 9-8.

The Results
UCLA vs Ohio State
4/25/2026 at Columbus, Ohio
(Auer Tennis Complex)

#5 Ohio State 4, #19 UCLA 2

Singles competition
1. #4 Luciana Perry (OSU) def. #18 A-C Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
2. #51 Mayu Crossley (UCLA) def. #5 Teah Chavez (OSU) 6-1, 6-3
3. #124 Sophia CisseIgnatiev (OSU) def. Kate Fakih (UCLA) 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
4. #76 Nao Nishino (OSU) def. Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 6-1, 6-0
5. #122 Audrey Spencer (OSU) def. Olivia Center (UCLA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
6. Hephzibah Oluwadare (OSU) vs. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 7-6 (7-5), 6-6 (2-2), unfinished

Doubles competition
1. #33 Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. #32 Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry (OSU) 6-2
2. Mayu Crossley/A-C Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. #27 Teah Chavez/Hephzibah Oluwadare (OSU) 7-5
3. Sophia CisseIgnatiev/Audrey Spencer (OSU) vs. Kayla Chung/Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 5-6, unfinished

Match Notes:
UCLA 16-7; National ranking #19
Ohio State 23-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,1,2,3,5)
Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
Ohio State No. 1 seed, UCLA No. 4 seed
Official: Chris Citrone T-2:58