Graduate Loren Byers smiles between points during the match against Virginia Saturday. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
For two weekends inside the Ty Tucker Center, the No. 2 Ohio State men’s tennis team didn’t just defend its home court.
It sent a message.
Three top-five opponents came to Columbus. All three left with losses.
Ohio State capped the stretch Sunday with a 5-2 win over No. 1 Virginia, improving to 7-0 on the season and extending its streak to six consecutive wins over top-ranked teams. Two of those victories have come this season alone, and three have been against top-five opponents.
Yet inside the Buckeyes’ locker room, the tone was far from celebratory.
“We’re super pumped,” senior Alexander Bernard said. “It means a ton to have those teams coming in at home, defending our home courts and taking two of the biggest wins you can get.”
Still, Ohio State isn’t interested in letting early-season accolades define its ceiling.
“These [last] couple weeks don’t mean too much,” redshirt-junior Preston Stearns said. “We’re potentially number one in the country right now. Doesn’t mean too much if we can’t go out to the National Indoors next week and prove it.”
That mindset showed Sunday against Virginia, beginning with doubles – an area head coach Ty Tucker emphasized as foundational.
“Doubles points [are] very important,” head coach Ty Tucker said. “I feel like our doubles is in pretty good order right now, which puts you in a pretty good spot.”
Ohio State took the doubles point decisively. The No. 8 pairing of juniors Aidan Kim and Bryce Nakashima opened with a dominant 6-0 sweep on court three, followed by the nation’s top-ranked duo, redshirt sophomore Brandon Carpico and sophomore Nikita Filin, earning a 6-3 win on court two.
That early edge allowed Ohio State to play singles with control rather than urgency.
Graduate student Loren Byres secured the first singles point with a straight-set win on court six, while Bernard followed with a composed 6-1, 6-3 victory. Stearns then delivered the clincher on court two, defeating No. 15 Keegan Rice 6-4, 6-4 in a match that underscored Ohio State’s depth under pressure.
Nakashima added another point on court four, pushing the Buckeyes ahead 5-1 and sealing the outcome before the final matches concluded.
Virginia salvaged two points late, including a win by No. 2 Dylan Dietrich over Ohio State’s No. 13 Kim in the day’s longest match. But by then, the result was academic.
For Bernard, the larger takeaway wasn’t the final score – it was how Ohio State handled expectations, momentum and elite competition.
“We’re right there with anyone, and we can beat anyone,” Bernard said. “That’s what you’re gonna have to do to win the national indoor [championship]. You’re gonna have to beat everyone.”
Ohio State will compete at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 13 in Dallas where winning matters more than any ranking.
