Women’s Tennis: No. 11 Buckeyes kickoff first Big Ten matchup of season against Michigan

Caroline Hebert
Wed, 13 Mar 2024 23:27:52 +0000
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The No. 9 Ohio State women’s tennis team fell No. 8 Pepperdine 4-2 Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

Big Ten action will take place in Columbus this weekend as the Ohio State women’s tennis team looks to make a comeback to archrival Michigan.

The No. 11 Buckeyes (7-5, 0-0 Big Ten) are set to host No. 2 Michigan (12-3, 0-0 Big Ten) at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center Friday at 6 p.m. This will be both teams’ first Big Ten matches of their 2024 seasons.

“This week is what we’ve been preparing for all year,” Buckeyes’ head coach Melissa Schaub said. “We’ve played a really tough schedule so far, and I think all of those matches prepare you for a match like we’re gonna get Friday night.”

The last time the two teams met was in April 2023 when then-No. 10 Ohio State suffered a loss against then-No. 5 Michigan, 4-2, at the Big Ten Tournament finals in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Wolverines currently have a three-match winning streak against Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes hope to end that streak with a home court advantage this week.

“It’s always good to play at home, especially against the team up north,” Schaub said. “Hopefully we have a good fan base, and a good crowd that will help us immensely.”

Ohio State has not won against Michigan since April 2022 when the then-No. 8 Buckeyes claimed a 4-3 win over then-No. 19 Wolverines at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

“Michigan is a very aggressive team, and they’re confident in their tennis, too,” junior Buckeye Shelly Bereznyak said. “I think our biggest goal is to not let them feel as comfortable in our own building.”

Going into this match, Ohio State hopes to secure the doubles point, after falling short of it in its past few matches. Michigan is currently 9-0 in winning doubles this season and is 3-3 without earning the matches first point.

“Doubles is a key for us,” Schaub said. “I think we started out really strong throughout the year with that, and I think here recently, it’s one set, no-ad scoring, so it’s quick and it’s definitely something we’re focusing on cleaning up.”

Michigan has two top 25-ranked players in the latest singles Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, which is led by No. 5 senior Kari Miller (22-7) and No. 18 senior Gala Mesochoritou (16-9). In doubles, senior Jaedan Brown and Miller are No. 4 in ITA rankings.

Ohio State’s graduate and captain, Irina Cantos Siemers, is ranked No. 12 this season and is 20-8 in singles this season.

“Michigan is a veteran team,” Schaub said. “I would say where we have a lot of youth and quite a few freshmen that are out there playing. Their starting lineup is kind of the opposite.”

Ohio State has three freshmen in its starting lineup including Luciana Perry, Teah Chavez and Audrey Spencer.

In Ohio State versus Michigan women’s tennis history, the Buckeyes have earned 11 wins and suffered 20 losses between April 2000 and January 2024.

“Michigan is a good team with a lot of pride in their program, as do we, so I’m expecting a really tough match,” Schaub said.

To conclude their non-conference seasons, both teams faced No. 4 Pepperdine prior to the upcoming match, which led to a 4-2 loss for the Buckeyes and a 4-2 victory for the Wolverines.

In order to redeem themselves, the Buckeyes are working on doubles and practicing physical drills twice a day, helping them to prepare both mentally and physically for Michigan, Bereznyak said.

“I think we’re all gonna be very prepared for the match because we trust each other. We work hard, and we truly believe in ourselves as a team,” Bereznyak said. “I think we have a very good chance to beat [Michigan].”

Friday’s match will be live-streamed on the Ohio State women’s tennis website. Admission and parking are free for all regular season matches at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.