After nearly a week of waiting, the Ohio State women’s tennis team learned yesterday that they will be competing in the NCAA tournament.
The Buckeyes, ranked No. 49, will open up the tournament against No. 34 Virginia in Knoxville, Tenn. The host team will face Murray State in the other first-round matchup.
However, individual selections for the NCAATournament will not be announced until tomorrow, leaving some of the players anxious about their possible selection.
“I really hope that the team, and myself as an individual, make it. I just want to play more tennis and finish out my senior year on a high note,” senior captain Sadhaf Pervez said before learning of Ohio State’s position in the tournament. “It’s all in the hands of the tennis gods now.”
A season full of extreme ups and downs ended when the OSU women’s tennis team closed out conference play with a disappointing loss to Purdue at last week’s Big Ten Championship in Champaign, Ill. The No. 5 seed Buckeyes were knocked out of the competition after turning in their third consecutive 4-3 decision in a grueling match against the fourth-seeded Boilermakers.
After capturing the doubles point in opening play, OSU (12-11, 6-4 Big Ten) dropped the match by tallying only two singles victories.
“Having to face Purdue in the matchup was a little bit tough for us,” OSU coach Chuck Merzbacher said. “Our team worked really hard, and there was a lot of intensity out there, but we just came up short.”
The Buckeyes fell behind early when the No. 3 doubles team of junior Meaghan Colville and sophomore Lindsey Adams lost their match 8-6 but stormed back with two big wins from the final duos. Senior captain Sadhaf Pervez and junior Lindsay Williams walked away with an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles, and were followed by the team of juniors Erica Fisk and Jackie Leskovar, who clinched the doubles point with a 9-7 victory.
The Boilermakers (13-11, 6-4 Big Ten) fired back in singles competition, turning in four Buckeye defeats, including a taxing final match that went to three sets. Competing at No. 2 singles, Purdue’s Amy Walgenbach defeated Fisk 6-0, 5-7, 6-1 in the closing match. The victory was her eighth Big Ten win this season.
Ohio State turned in two victories at No. 1 and No. 4 singles when Pervez outlasted Boilermaker Gretchen Haynor in three sets 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, and with Williams’ straight set 6-0, 6-4 victory over Shawna Zuccarini.
“We all expected ourselves to do better on Friday, but it was a really long match,” Pervez said of the bout, which lasted over four hours. “It was all heart coming from our team, but they just edged us out. I’m disappointed with the loss, but proud of the whole team because everyone gave it their all.”
By taking her singles match, Pervez posted her seventh Big Ten victory this season, raising her overall season-win mark to 27.
After returning to Columbus, the Buckeyes spent their week awaiting news of whether they would be competing in the NCAA Championship for the fifth consecutive year. Merzbacher said despite the squad’s “bubble team” status, the berth in the tournament gives OSU an opportunity to salvage its season and prove its place in the field.
“We’ve been to NCAAs the past four years, so we have high standards. Anything less than making a run for the title would leave us a little disappointed,” he said.
