With the No. 48 Ohio State women’s tennis team embarking on a 10-match road trip following the weekend, Friday and Sunday were the last chances for the Buckeyes to enjoy the home cooking of the Jesse Owens West Recreational Center for quite a while. OSU (4-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) responded with a finger-licking good weekend – sweeping Nebraska, Yale and Cleveland State.
“It was a good weekend,” coach Chuck Merzbacher said. “We had some solid performances, and we definitely improved with every match we played.”
It was a dominating weekend for the Buckeyes, as they swept all nine doubles matches and lost three of 21 possible points. Senior Lindsay Williams finished 3-0 in singles, and senior Erica Fisk and junior Emily DeCamilla posted 2-0 marks.
The fun began Friday afternoon when OSU made quick work of No. 71 Nebraska 6-1. The Cornhuskers were led by No. 19 Gitte Ostermann, but she was no match for Williams. The Buckeye senior lead OSU to the doubles point, teaming with Meaghan Colville to defeat Ostermann and Katie Garcia 8-1. She overwhelmed Ostermann 6-0, 6-3 in singles. It was Williams’ second win over a Top 20 opponent in the winter.
“I try not to get caught up in it,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing well, so I’m happy and excited.”
Kristin Messmer notched her fourth straight victory with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Pamela Castillejos despite fighting her stroke for much of the first game. The Buckeyes received convincing victories from Fisk, DeCamilla and junior Lindsey Adams.
OSU was back in action Sunday, defeating Yale 5-2 and Cleveland State 7-0. The Buckeyes received straight set victories over No. 64 Yale from Williams, Fisk, DeCamilla and senior Jackie Leskovar. Fisk won her third straight match in convincing fashion after struggling at the beginning of the winter.
It was not all gravy for the Buckeyes, however, as Messmer had her winning streak snapped in a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Bulldog Aimee Kim.
The Buckeyes had no trouble with Cleveland State, losing six games over the nine matches. Williams found herself down 3-1 in the first set to Sarah Galon before rallying to a 6-4 victory. Williams put the hammer down in the second set, blanking Galon 6-0.
“I was tired,” she said. “It’s been a long weekend. She was good though.”
OSU took advantage of the Cleveland State match to get junior transfer Meredith Vincent, junior Lindsay Bryan and freshman Sonia Ruzimovsky their first dual meet action of the season. All three responded with 6-0, 6-0 victories on courts 4, 5 and 6.
“It was very nice to finally be able to play a match in the dual season,” Vincent said. “It’s always fun, and much better than fall.”
OSU’s 10-match road swing will begin Saturday and Sunday with matches against Wake Forest and No. 17 William and Mary. The Buckeyes may not play outdoors in those two matches, but Merzbacher looks forward to getting OSU some time outside in preparation for the end of the season.
“I think what’s been lacking is outdoor play, so we’ve got to go out and put ourselves on the line,” he said. “That’s the only way to do it.”
