No. 10 Buckeyes Fall to Vanderbilt in NCAA Second Round

Results

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 10 Ohio State women’s tennis team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 4-2 loss to Vanderbilt Sunday in the second round.

The Commodores won the doubles point for a 1-0 lead. Irina Cantos Siemers posted a straight-set win for the Buckeyes to tie the match before back-to-back Vanderbilt singles wins gave it a 3-1 advantage. Sydni Ratliff drew Ohio State within one (3-2), leaving the match to be decided on courts five and six, which both went to a third set. Vanderbilt (18-9) sealed the victory with a win on court six to advance to the NCAA Round of 16.

The Buckeyes, the Big Ten regular season champion, end the year 21-6. The loss was the first for Ohio State at home in NCAA play (7-1). The Buckeyes were was making their eighth straight NCAA appearance.

Quoting head coach Melissa Schaub

“It just wasn’t a good day today. We haven’t been playing our best down the stretch and that’s something we need to look at closely. It’s a long, tough season and we just weren’t where we needed to be. I’m obviously disappointed, but proud of our season up until this point. Looking ahead to next year, I feel we will have a good group in the locker room and a bright future.”

In Doubles

• Vanderbilt took a 1-0 lead, clinching the doubles point with wins on courts one and three.
• The court three match finished first, as MaryAnn Rompf and Dasha Kourkina defeated Luna Dormet and Sydni Ratliff, 6-2.
• On court one, Vanderbilt’s No. 37-ranked duo of Anna Ross and Holly Staff posted a 7-5 win over Buckeyes Kolie Allen and Isabelle Boulais. The Buckeyes were up a break early, but Vandy won three in a row for a 3-3 match. Each team held over the next four games for five-all; the Commodores then broke and served it out for the match and doubles point.
• On court two, the Buckeye tandem of Irina Cantos Siemers and Lucia Marzal had won three games in a row to get on serve vs. Vanderbilt’s Anessa Lee and Marcella Cruz. The match was suspended with Vanderbilt serving 5-4.

In Singles

• On court one, Cantos Siemers, ranked 13th, dropped just three games against No. 46 Ross, posting a 6-1, 6-2 win and tying the team score at one.
• Vanderbilt won the next two matches to take a 3-1 lead. On court four, Cruz defeated Allen, 6-4, 6-4. Cruz won the final three games of the first set. In the second, the Commodore broke for a 4-3 lead and was able to stay ahead the rest of the way, holding on the no-ad point for the win.
• On court two, No. 88 Staff posted a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win over No. 41 Boulais. Boulais led 4-1 early before Staff won three in a row for 4-4. After two holds, Staff broke to serve for the set, but Boulais answered with a break of her own to force a tiebreaker. In the breaker, the Commodore went ahead 5-2 en route to a 7-4 win.
• Ratliff, ranked 67th, was a straight set winner over No. 87 Lee on court three to make it a 3-2 team score. The Buckeye freshman made an early break stand for a 6-4 first-set victory. In the second, Ratliff jumped out to a 4-1 lead and finished with a 6-2 victory.
• The team result came down to three-set matches on courts five and six.
• On court six, Dormet dropped the first set against Stevens, 6-4, but rolled in the second, 6-1, winning the final four games. In the third set, the players were tied at three-all, but Stevens broke to go ahead 4-3 and won the next two games to clinch the match for the Commodores.
• On court five, Marzal lost the first set to Kourkina, 6-2, but rallied for a 6-4 second-set win, breaking to force a third set. Kourkina led in the third 4-0 when the match was suspended.

The Schedule Ahead

• The NCAA singles and doubles championships will be held in Champaign, Ill., May 23-28 following the team tournament.
• Cantos Siemers and Boulais are in the singles tournament, with Cantos Siemers and Ratliff in the doubles draw. Ratliff is an alternate to the singles championship as well.

The Results
Vanderbilt vs Ohio State
May 08 at Columbus, Ohio
(Auer Tennis Complex)

#30 Vanderbilt 4, #10 Ohio State 2

Singles competition
1. #13 Irina Cantos Siemers (OSU) def. #46 Anna Ross (VANDY) 6-1, 6-2
2. #88 Holly Staff (VANDY) def. #41 Isabelle Boulais (OSU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
3. #67 Sydni Ratliff (OSU) def. #87 Anessa Lee (VANDY) 6-4, 6-2
4. Marcella Cruz (VANDY) def. Kolie Allen (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Lucia Marzal (OSU) vs. Dasha Kourkina (VANDY) 2-6, 6-4, 0-4, unfinished
6. Amy Stevens (VANDY) def. Luna Dormet (OSU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. #37 Anna Ross/Holly Staff (VANDY) def. Kolie Allen/Isabelle Boulais (OSU) 7-5
2. Irina Cantos Siemers/Lucia Marzal (OSU) vs. Anessa Lee/Marcella Cruz (VANDY) 5-4, unfinished
3. MaryAnn Rompf/Dasha Kourkina (VANDY) def. Luna Dormet/Sydni Ratliff (OSU) 6-2

Match Notes:
Vanderbilt 18-9; National ranking #30
Ohio State 21-6; National ranking #10
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,4,2,3,6)
NCAA Tournament Second Round
Official: Julio Colon T-3:22 A-123