Ohio State women's tennis avenges losses, beats Michigan for Big Ten Championship
Ohio State women's tennis avenges losses, beats Michigan for Big Ten Championship
The Ohio State women's tennis team has lost three matches all season. Two of those came in the Big Ten, both against Michigan. The Wolverines are the No. 3 team in the country, with a dominant lineup that includes four singles players ranked in the Top 100. The Buckeyes got revenge when it mattered most, though, taking down Michigan in an absolute thriller in the Big Ten Championship.
Big Ten Championship: Ohio State 4, Michigan 3
The first meeting between the two schools, in Ann Arbor, was a titanic battle that ended with Michigan claiming a three-set victory in the final singles match. The rematch in Columbus (technically a nonconference match) wasn't as close, with the Wolverines taking the doubles point then quickly winning three singles matches to win 4-1. The third matchup of the season was worthy of a conference final, thrilling college tennis fans and earning the Buckeyes some revenge.
Michigan, for the third time this season, took the doubles point. (A quick refresher on Division I tennis scoring: teams play three one-set doubles matches. Whichever team wins two earns a point. Then there are six singles matches, each worth one point. First team to four points wins the overall match.)
The Buckeyes quickly responded, earning straight-set wins on Courts 1 and 2. Unlike their first two meetings this season, the Buckeyes flipped their top two spots, putting their second-highest-ranked player (No. 30 Teah Chavez) on Court 1 and No. 10 Luciana Perry on Court 2. It worked out well, as Chavez upset No. 5 Julia Fliegner while Perry defeated No. 25 Piper Charney. That gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead, and no other match would end nearly as quickly.
The last four matches all went to three sets. Michigan won on Court 5 after losing the first set 0-6 to tie the overall match, then the Wolverines took a 3-2 lead when Jessica Bernales upset No. 99 Audrey Spencer. The Buckeyes then knotted things at 3-3 when Sydni Ratliff upset No. 41 Lily Jones 7-5 4-6 6-3.
Then both teams settled in for a nerve-wracking wait, as by far the longest singles match of the day dragged on. Nao Nishino of Ohio State and No. 82 Emily Sartz-Lunde of Michigan split the first two sets, both in tiebreaks. Sartz-Lunde won the first set, and Nishino had to save match points in the second set tiebreak to keep the Buckeyes alive. The final set was a bit nervy, as expected, but Nishino played really well and managed to hold her cool, winning the set 6-4 and claiming a Big Ten title for the Buckeyes.
On to the NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed Monday afternoon, and the Buckeyes should expect to be either a two or three seed in their region. (64 teams make the tournament.) The first two rounds are this coming weekend (May 2-5), and Ohio State should be expected to advance to the second weekend pretty easily.
After that, it will depend on matchups and ability on the day, of course, but the Buckeyes have proven that they can play with anyone. They handled the stress and nerves of the Big Ten final, which will give them important experience and steel for the NCAAs. I would be nervous if the Buckeyes are put into the same region as Georgia or Texas A&M, but the Buckeyes really can beat anyone in the country at this point. National quarterfinal should be the minimum expectation, and the final four should be within reach, especially if the quarterfinal opponent isn't Georgia or Texas A&M. And from there? Anything can happen. But I would think it's more likely than not that the Buckeyes are playing in Waco the weekend of May 18th.
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