The Ohio State women’s tennis team wrapped up play in the Cissie Leary Invitational last weekend. The team traveled to Philadelphia to take part in the invitational hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
In singles, senior Erica Fisk was victorious in her consolation match defeating Harvard’s Cindy Chu 6-2, 6-2.
Senior Jackie Leskovar advanced to the second round but fell to the No. 1 seed Alice Pirsu of the University of Pennsylvania.
Yet coach Chuck Merzbacher saw improvement from the squad.
“We’re getting better,” Merzbacher said. “We won a lot of matches, not consecutive, but consolation.”
He was pleased with how the team responded to the challenge.
“The upperclassmen were stepping up,” Merzbacher said. “I think the freshmen are getting used to the competition.”
The invitational gave players the chance to see how they stacked up against top level talent.
“I had a good tournament,” Leskovar said. “I know I can compete with the top in the country.”
The team is not resting, though, as they focus on their upcoming tournament; the Kentucky Fall Tournament held in Lexington, Ky.
“A lot of good schools, like Kentucky, will be there,” senior Lindsay Williams said. “There will be a lot of teams we don’t normally play. It’s nice to see new faces and play different people.”
Merzbacher said he is looking for the team to work on serving, returning and finishing points this weekend.
The Kentucky Fall Tournament has even greater significance than a normal tournament since it will affect whether a player is able to qualify for the ITA Midwest Regional in Kalamazoo, Mich. The regional will take place Oct. 22-28.
The regional has a field of 64. The top 56 players are automatically qualified. The final eight slots are awarded to the winners of a three round bracket. This weekend will be the final chance for players to increase their rankings to earn an automatic spot.
“I think, especially for me, it’ll be big,” Williams said. “I think I’m on the bubble (of qualifying) right now.”
Leskovar, who had to go through the three-round bracket last year, has already earned herself a spot along with Fisk in doubles.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Leskovar said. “It’s nice that I have a regional ranking and won’t have to go through qualifiers.”
Merzbacher has high hopes for the players.
“I want three doubles teams and three singles players to make the quarter (finals) or better,” he said.
Merzbacher said he wants the team to get more matches in and more experience the rest of the season.
The team sees the rest of fall season as a springboard to the rest of the year.
“The fall is for fine tuning,” Leskovar said. “I know I have a good foundation, and I want to have a successful senior season.”
