The GCTA Supports TennisOhio State Men's Tennis
OSU's current ranking: #22
Individual Rankings: #33 Jeremy Wurtzman, #38 Vince Ng
Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman named to the All-Big Ten Tennis Team.
Ng named named Big Ten Athlete of the Year.
Vince Ng: Big Ten Player of the Week
Brenton Contini: Big Ten Player of the Week
OSU's current record: 22-7 Overall, 9-1 Big Ten Duals, 1-1 in the Big Ten Tournament, 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament
The Ohio State University Athletic Web Site
Ranked Big Ten Schools: #1 Illinois, #11 Minnesota, #22 OSU, #44 Indiana, #49 Purdue, #55 Michigan State, #58 Northwestern, #59 Michigan, #66 Penn State, #68 Iowa
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Meet the team in stats.
Next Up for the Buckeyes:
5/22/03
Vince Ng, One of Four Ohio State Athletes Selected to the Verizon At-Large Academic All-District IV Team
Ohio State athletes Rai Bhavsar, Vincent Ng, Jason Rogers and Scott Titus were named to the 2003 Verizon At-Large Academic All-District IV Team. Ohio State is the only school with four athletes selected and the sole university with three first-team members on the at-large squad.
5/22/03
Vincent Ng wins Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor
The Ohio State Department of Athletics held its annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet Wednesday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to honor its student-athletes for their academic and athletic accomplishments. At the event, a number of senior awards were given out, while a record-413 OSU Scholar-Athletes also were recognized.
The winners of the prestigious Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor were synchronized swimmer Victoria Bowen and Vincent Ng of the men's tennis team. Each member institution in the conference gives the award annually to the male and female athletes in the graduating class who have attained the greatest proficiency in both academics and athletics, as chosen by the Ohio State Athletic Council. The Big Ten Conference office established the award in 1914 and an additional award for the top female was instituted in 1982. This honor includes a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship for the recipients who would like to pursue a graduate or professional program at Ohio State.
Ng came to Ohio State from Broadview Heights, Ohio. Ng's tennis coach has high praise for him as "the ultimate scholar-athlete." His hard work both on and off the court has earned this praise. He is the winningest player in Ohio State tennis history and he helped the team to the NCAA team championship for the first time as a freshman. He was a member of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament championship team and was named to the 2003 All-Big Ten team. Ng was the 2002-03 Big Ten Indoor Singles Champion, the 2003 Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year, the 2003 Milwaukee Tennis Classic Champion and is the Ohio State all-time career singles wins leader. He was the 2002-03 co-captain and a four-time varsity letterwinner.
Ng's successes are as impressive off the court. He was a Verizon Academic All-America Men's Second Team honoree and a Verizon District IV Academic All-District Second Team member. He was a 2002-03 Socrates Award finalist and an invitee to the Presidential Salute to Undergraduate Academic Achievement. He also was the recipient of the 2003 Colleges of the Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Scholarship. He is a seven-time Dean's List honoree, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete. Ng is a biology major and has been conditionally accepted to the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
5/21/03 11:00 AM
Jeremy Wurtzman lost to Jesse Witten of Kentucky, 3-6, 6-7.
Vince Ng lost to Michael Kogan of Tulane, 5-7, 2-6.
5/21/03 10:20 AM
Jeremy Wurtzman is a down a set and behind 3-4 to Witten of Kentucky.
Vince Ng lost the first set 5-7 to Kogan of Tulane.
5/21/03 10:00 AM
Jeremy Wurtzman is down a set to Jesse Witten of Kentucky. Jeremy lost the first set by a score of 3-6.
Vince Ng is still in the first set but is down 5-6 to Michael Kogan of Tulane.
5/20/03
Illinois is the NCAA Champion.
The Illini defeated Vanderbilt 4-3 to claim the title.Click on this link to go to the NCAA page for a complete tournament bracket. Once there, click on the "2003 Team Championship Bracket (PDF)" link for the bracket. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (if you don't already have it).
5/17/03
Cal has beaten the Buckeyes, 4-0.
California (21-4) survived an extended rain delay and a pesky Ohio State squad in advancing to its 12th ever NCAA quarterfinal appearance, and first since 1991, with a 4-0 victory over the Buckeyes in Saturday evening's NCAA Round of 16 match at Henry Field Stadium at the University of Georgia.
After dropping the doubles point in a 4-1 victory over Boise State in the NCAA Round of 32, the Bears looked to be on the verge of a second consecutive doubles loss to put them in an early hole. On court three, Conor Niland and Balazs Veress took control early, establishing a 4-1 lead over Phil Metz and Brenton Contini. The Ohio State duo cut the Cal lead to 5-2, but the Bear tandem persevered with three consecutive games to claim an 8-2 victory for the early advantage. Things were not looking so good for Cal on courts one and two, however, with both pairs facing deficits. Patrick Briaud and John Paul Fruttero could not recover from a 5-2 deficit as the Buckeyes' tandem of Vincent Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman rolled to an 8-3 victory on court two to even things up at one match apiece. It came down to court one, as the Bears' top tandem of eighth-ranked Steve Berke and Robert Kowalczyk were in an early hole against Ohio State's Scott Green and Ross Wilson. The Buckeye duo looked to be in control from the get-go, cruising out to a 5-2 advantage. But Cal rallied to knot things at 6-6 and again at 7-7 to give the Bears a glimmer of hope. With the momentum now in their favor, Berke and Kowalczyk took two straight games to claim a 9-7 victory to hand Cal the 1-0 lead in dramatic fashion.
Pumped from the comeback doubles victory, the Bears took to the singles courts with a newfound sense of optimism. Cal jumped out to leads on courts four through six before the match entered a rain delay. The match finally resumed indoors after the completion of the Stanford-Tulane match.
In his first singles action since April 22 at the Pac-10 Championships, Steve Berke's return to the lineup was a welcome addition. He polished off Brenton Contini with a dominating 6-1, 6-2 performance on court five for the first singles victory for the Bears, extending Cal's lead to 2-0. Berke was never threatened in the victory, claiming 3-1 leads in both sets in the win. Senior All-American No. 57 Robert Kowalczyk followed Berke's lead with his own swift 6-1, 6-3 decision over Ross Wilson on court No. 6. After Kowalczyk's relatively easy first set victory, Wilson knotted the score at 2-2 in the second set before the Cal senior regained the lead at 4-2. Wilson cut the margin to 4-3, but that was as close as he would get as Kowalczyk closed it out in the match's later stages for the victory.
With the 3-0 lead, one more victory from the remaining four courts would seal the deal and set a date with Stanford in tomorrow's quarterfinals.
No. 124 Balazs Veress was up to the challenge, clinching the match with his 7-5, 6-0 decision over Phil Metz on court four. Veress took a 3-0 lead in the early going, but Metz tied it up at 4-4. The Cal junior buckled down to claim a 7-5 first set victory before blanking Metz in the second set, 6-0, to win the match.
The three remaining matches were suspended with Veress' clinching victory. John Paul Fruttero was upended, 7-5, in his first set with No. 38 Vincent Ng, but was in command with a 5-0 lead in the second set. No. 36 Conor Niland split the first two sets with No. 33 Jeremy Wurtzman and freshman Or Dekel was leading 2-0 in the third set against Dennis Mertens.
With the victory, Cal advances to a quarterfinal match with Bay Area rival Stanford at 3 p.m. (EST) Sunday. The two squads split the two meetings in 2003, with each team claiming 4-3 victories.
Doubles: (California wins point)
1. #8 Berke/Kowalczyk (Cal) d. Green/Wilson (OSU), 9-7*
2. Ng/Wurtzman (OSU) d. Briaud/Fruttero (Cal), 8-3
3. Niland/Veress (Cal) d. Contini/Metz (OSU), 8-2
ORDER OF FINISH: 3, 2, 1*
* Clinched doubles point
Singles:
1. John Paul Fruttero (Cal) vs. #38 Vincent Ng (OSU), DNF (5-7, 5-0)
2. #36 Conor Niland (Cal) vs. #33 Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU), DNF (6-4, 3-6)
3. Or Dekel (Cal) vs. Dennis Mertens (OSU), DNF (2-6, 6-2, 2-0)
4. #124 Balazs Veress (Cal) d. Phil Metz (OSU), 7-5, 6-0*
5. Steve Berke (Cal) d. Brenton Contini (OSU), 6-1, 6-2
6. #57 Robert Kowalczyk (Cal) d. Ross Wilson (OSU), 6-1, 6-3
ORDER OF FINISH: 5, 6, 4*
* Clinched match.
The Bucks finished their season 22-7 and first-ever appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois continues in the tournament, protecting their #1 national ranking. They defeated Washington, 4-2. Sunday the Orange and Blue will face Mississippi in the round of eight.
5/17/03
In Georgia at the NCAA Tournament, Cal has taken the doubles point.
Scott Green and Ross Wilson lost a close match on court one. The Golden Bears won 9-7. Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman won 8-3 on court two. Court three went to the Bears, 8-2. Brenton Contini and Phil Metz were on that court. The order of finish was 3, 2, 1.
The matches are currently suspended due to rain. All singles matches are early in the first sets with no clear advantages.
5/13/03
Vince Ng Earns Midwest Regional IV Accolades.
Buckeye named regional Senior Player of the Year and Arthur Ashe, Jr. recipient.
Vince Ng (Sr., Broadview Heights, Ohio) was named the 2003 Men's Tennis Midwest Regional IV ITA/Farnsworth Senior Player of the Year and the 2003 regional recipient of the Tennis Magazine/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award. As a recipient of these awards, Ng automatically is a candidate for the National Senior Player of the Year and National Sportsmanship titles. Ng also is a nominee for the 2003 National ITA Osuna Sportsmanship Award.
Ng, currently ranked No. 38 in the country, was named the 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year and was an All-Big Ten selection. He earned honors for men's tennis Big Ten Player of the Week, April 22.
Ng holds the career singles record at Ohio State with a 132-44 mark in four years as a Buckeye. Roger Smith (1983-86) held the 17-year record since 1986 with 126 wins. Ng broke the record after claiming his 127th victory against Wisconsin, April 11 in Madison.
Currently, Ng holds a 41-6 singles record on the 2002-03 season. The 41 season singles wins places him at the No. 2 spot in program history and is a career high. Smith holds the record at Ohio State with 45 season singles wins set in 1986.
Ng was undefeated (10-0) in singles action against 2003 Big Ten opponents. He is on a 12-match winning streak, which extends back to a victory over Michigan State's Cameron Marshall, March 15 in East Lansing, Mich.
As a biology major, Ng holds a 3.93 GPA and will graduate with honors from Ohio State in spring 2003. Ng has been enrolled in the University's Early Admission Pathway program for the past three years and was accepted to medical school at OSU as a high school senior. He plans to attend medical school at Ohio State beginning in late August 2003.
5/12/03
Sweet 16!
The Bucks move on to play the University of California. The Bears bring a 20-4 record into the match. They have a #7 national ranking (as of April 28th) and are ranked #4 in the tournament. Cal and OSU have faced three common opponents: Arkansas, Illinois, and UCLA. The Golden Bears played UCLA twice on the season. In their first meeting, Cal won 5-2; in the second match, UCLA won 6-1. The Bucks played UCLA in California and lost 2-5. The Golden Bears beat Arkansas at the USTA/ITA National Indoors in Louisville, KY by the same score that OSU had against them, 4-0. The Bears went down to Illinois, 6-1; the Buckeyes lost 5-2.
OSU came into the NCAA tournament with a #22 national ranking. They were unranked in the tournament. The Bucks are in the same half as Illinois. If OSU can beat Cal, they will face the winner of the Stanford vs. Tulane match.
The match-time for Saturday is 6:00 PM.
5/11/03
Other teams from the Big Ten in the NCAA's: Illinois advances; Minnesota was eliminated by Oklahoma State.5/11/03
The Bucks have beaten the Wildcats!
Kentucky started by taking the doubles point. Scott Green and Ross Wilson lost on one, 1-8. Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman lost a close match on two, 7-9. Brenton Contini and Phil Metz were leading in their match, 8-7, when the match was suspended.
Due to high winds, the singles matches were played indoors.
At four, Phil Metz was the first to get a point for OSU; he won his match 6-2, 6-1. Jeremy Wurtzman put the Bucks ahead when he won his match on two, 7-6 (4), 6-1. The Wildcats tied the match when Dennis Mertens lost on three, 6-7 (1), 3-6. Playing one, Vince Ng put the Bucks in the lead again, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Kentucky tied it when Brenton Contini lost on five, 6-4, 3-6, 1-6. Ross Wilson got OSU the match with a 6-3, 6-7 (9), 6-2 win.
A very nice Buckeye Mother's Day present: a 4-3 upset of the Wildcats!
5/10/03
Kentucky has beaten Hampton, 4-0. The Bucks will play the Wildcats tomorrow at 1:00 PM.
A Buckeye win would be a nice Mother's Day present for some Buckeye moms!
5/10/03
The Bucks have beaten the Razorbacks!
After taking the doubles point (see below), OSU won three singles matches to take an insurmountable lead. On five, Brenton Contine was the first off with a 0 and 3 win. He was followed by Jeremy Wurtzman on two, 6-3, 6-1. Phil Metz got the fourth point, 6-3, 6-2.
Vince Ng had split sets on one. Dennis Mertens had won the first set on three. Ross Wilson was in the third set on six. All of those matches were suspended.
5/10/03
In Lexington, OSU has won the doubles point against Arkansas.
Court two was the first to finish. Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman won, 8-6. Scott Green and Ross Wilson were the next off. They were on one and lost, 6-8. Phil Metz and Brenton Contini got the point for the Bucks with a 8-6 win.
5/2/03
Jeremy Wurtzman and Vince Ng have been selected to play in the NCAA Singles Tournament.
4/30/30
OSU to play Arkansas in Lexington.
Illinois is the number one seed in the tournament. Of the 64 participants, the Big Ten only got three in: Illinois, Minnesota, and the Bucks.
Arkansas has a record of 9-14 but a ranking of #36. The site-host is Kentucky. They bring a 18-11 record and a #13 ranking. The Wildcats begin play against Hampton.
This is the fourth consecutive appearance for the Bucks in the NCAA's. OSU has faced 8 of the 64 teams, having a 3-5 record on the season against those teams. The Bucks have beaten Butler, Minnesota, and Virginia Commonwealth; they have losses to Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, UCLA, and Vanderbilt. OSU also lost to the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament.
4/27/03
At the Big Ten Championships in Evanston, Illinois on the campus of Northwestern University, #1 seed and #1 in the nation, Illinois has defeated Minnesota, 4-1.
4/26/03
The Gophers have defeated the Buckeyes.
After taking the doubles point, Minnesota secured the win on courts one, five, and six. Jeremy Wurtzman lost 7-6 (4), 2-6, 0-6 on one. Brenton Contini lost 1 and 1 on five, and Ross Wilson lost 5 and 5 on six. The lone point for the Buckeyes came in Vince Ng's match; he won, 6-2, 6-3. Dennis Mertens was playing on three, and Phil Metz was on four. Both matches were abandoned.
Minnesota will now face #1 seed and #1 in the nation, Illinois.
4/26/03
In the first semi-final match: Illinois 4, Michigan State 0. The second match is underway and Minnesota leads OSU 1-0 after taking the doubles point. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman lost, 8-1; Brenton Contini and Ross Wilson lost, 8-2. The Phil Metz/Vince Ng match was abandoned.
4/25/03
The All-Big Ten Tennis Team has been announced.
Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman were unanimous selections.
Vince was picked as the Athlete of the Year.
This was Jeremy's second year to make the All-Big Ten Team.
4/25/03
The Bucks have beaten the Badgers, 4-0.
(Scores taken from the Big Ten web site--www.bigten.org.)
Doubles teams of Scott Green/Jeremy Wurtzman and Brenton Contini/Ross Wilson got the doubles point for OSU. The Phil Metz/Vince Ng match was abandoned.
Wins on courts one, four, and six secured the victory for the Bucks. Wurtzman won 2 and 2; Metz won 1 and 1; Wilson won 0 and 4. Matches involving Vince Ng on two, Dennis Mertens on three and Brenton Contini on five were abandoned.
OSU will play Minnesota; Illinois will match up against Michigan State on Saturday.
Northwestern University hosts the Big Ten Championships.
4/24/03
At the Big Ten Championships, Wisconsin has defeated Michigan, 4-3. OSU will face Wisconsin Friday morning at 10:00 AM in Evanston.
4/23/03
Vince Ng, Big Ten Player of the Week
Vincent received the final men's tennis Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the 2003 season after stellar weekend performances at the No. 2 singles position. He defeated Minnesota's Chris Wettengel, ranked No. 84 in the country, 6-0, 6-2 on April 19th and Iowa's Hunter Skogman on Sunday in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 at the Stickney Tennis Center in Columbus. The win against the Gophers was key because the team-match went to OSU 4-3. The victories also marked Ng's final home appearances as a Buckeye.
Vince Ng
Big Ten Player of the Week
No. 21 Ohio State improved to the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten after the 4-3 upset of Minnesota and sealed a first round bye in the Big Ten Championships April 24-27 after a 7-0 shut out over Iowa. OSU will play the winner of the Michigan vs. Wisconsin match (to be played Thursday) on Friday at 10:00 AM. The tournament is being played in Evanston, Illinois on the campus of Northwestern University.
Ng, ranked No. 35 in the nation, broke the career singles record at Ohio State after he picked up his 127th win against Wisconsin on April 11th in Madison. The 17-year record was held by Roger Smith (1983-86) with 126 wins. To date, Ng owns a 130-44 career singles record at Ohio State. Ng is 20-3 in 2003 duals action and is undefeated in Big Ten play with 10 victories. He is on a 10-match win streak and is 39-6 in 2002-03 singles matches.
Ng sits at the No. 3 spot for Ohio State's season singles wins with 39 victories. He is tied at No. 3 with Mike Massie (1986), while Roger Smith holds the season singles record with 45 wins in 1986.
Earlier in the season, Vince was nominated for the Sporting News Radio Socrates Award. This is an award for an outstanding athlete who is also outstanding in the academic setting. Another OSU athlete, Craig Krenzel, ended up the winner of the award.
In addition to Vince's contribution in singles, his play in doubles has been a key to the success of the team on the season.
4/20/03
The Bucks beat the Hawkeyes, 7-0.
OSU claimed the doubles point with victories from Brenton Contini/Jeremy Wurtzman and Phil Metz/Vince Ng. Scott Green and Ross Wilson lost on one.
In singles, the top of OSU's lineup breezed through their matches: Jeremy Wurtzman, Vince Ng, and Phil Metz all had easy wins. The bottom of the lineup had closer matches, but Dennis Mertens, Ross Wilson, and Brenton Contine insured the sweep.
4/19/03
#23 Ohio State has upset #11 Minnesota, 4-3.
The Bucks took the doubles court on wins from courts 2 and 3. Phil Metz and Vince Ng won on three, 8-2. Brenton Contini and Jeremy Wurtzman lost on one, 2-8. It came down to a tiebreak. Scott Green and Ross Wilson were the winners, 9-8.
OSU-1, Minnesota-0.
Coach Tucker has said time and again that the doubles point is the most important point in college tennis.
Only 3 singles were need to bring home the win. Jeremy Wurtzman got it done on one, 7-5, 6-2. Vince Ng extended his record number of wins on two, 6-0, 6-2. Phil Metz lost on three in what looked to be a blowout, 6-0, 5-7, 0-2 (retired). Dennis Mertens won by default, 6-7, 2-0 (default). Brenton Contini lost in 3 and Ross Wilson lost in two.
4/13/03
The Bucks have beaten Northwestern, 6-1.
Vince Ng and Jeremy Wurtzman are unbeaten in the Big Ten.
Wurtzman, Ng, Phil Metz, and Ross Wilson won in straight sets. Conor Casey lost on three. Dennis Mertens won on six in three. The Bucks took courts one and two of the doubles: Casey/Wilson and Brenton Contini/Wurtzman. Metz and Ng lost on court 3 of the doubles.
4/11/03
The Bucks have beaten Wisconsin, 5-2.
Vince Ng moves into the number one position with career win number 127.
OSU claimed the doubles point by sweeping Wisconsin. Conor Casey and Ross Wilson won at one, 8-5. Phil Metz and Vince Ng followed at two, 8-3. Brenton Contini and Jeremy Wurtzman played three and won, 8-6.
Ng was a 3 and 4 winner on court one. Wurtzman won on two, 6-4, 6-3. Casey lost on three, 5 and 0. Metz won on four, 6-2, 6-2. Contini lost in a match tiebreak on five, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10). Wilson was a winner on six, 6-1, 6-2.
Roger Smith played for OSU from 1983-1986. He was a two-time NCAA singles participant. Roger was a three-time all-Big Ten selection. He was the Big Ten singles champion in 1985. He played Davis Cup for the Bahamas. He won 126 matches while playing for the Buckeyes.
Vince Ng was the 1997 Ohio High School singles champion while at University School. He is at OSU as a Presidential Scholar. He was a finalist for this year's Socrates Award--an award for athletes with high marks in academics. He is part of the Early Admission Pathways for medical school at OSU. He now stands at 127 wins!
4/6/03
The Bucks beat Purdue, 5-2.
Vince Ng ties Roger Smith's record.
The Bucks started slow, and Purdue took the doubles point. The OSU number one team of Conor Casey and Ross Wilson did win, 8-6. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman lost at two, 5-8. Brenton Contini and Phil Metz lost on three, 6-8.
OSU took 5 of six singles matches to secure the win.
No. 1 singles, Wurtzman was the first to finish, winning his match 4 and 5. "I played him last year. He started coming in on my backhand but I was able to get him on some of the shots." Ng played two and came off second. His points were typically long but he was a 3 and 1 winner. Vince explained that he had lost to the same player last year. "I was worried that I might have a let down after yesterday's big win." Conor Casey was next off. He lost at number four in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6
The match was tied then at 2-2.
Phil Metz, playing on three, put OSU ahead for good. He won in straight sets even though he started 0-3. He commented, "It was really good to win today coming off the loss yesterday." He attributed his slow start to not knowing much about his opponent. "I was really caught off guard by his style but I was able to figure him out a little bit." Ross Wilson took Ohio State to 4-2 and secured the win. He finished a straight-set match on 5. He said, "I had a lot of confidence going in; I had played him as a junior and beaten him. I tried to stay disciplined and get up to an early lead." Wilson got a break right from the beginning and was in control. Dennis Mertens got the final point when he won, 6-1, 6-4. He admitted that he was very much into the match at the beginning, "I knew it was an important match; if Ross doesn't win, it comes down to me. I lost my focus a little when Ross finished but was able to go without my serve being broke. The last game, I just served out with four good serves." Mertens was also pleased to win since his parents, Monique and Luc, had come in to see him play from Braaschaat, Belgium.
Vince Ng tied Roger Smith's record of 126 wins. Roger was an OSU 3-time all-Big Ten player who played from 1983-1986. Vince said, "It's a great honor to be in the same category as a great player like him. I hope I can break it (the record) and maybe ten years from now, someone will break my record. But I'll try to make it hard."
Coach Ty Tucker achieved his 75th win as the Buckeye head coach.
4/5/03
#1 Illinois has beaten #25 OSU, 5-2.
OSU lost the doubles point and 4 of the 6 singles. Jeremy Wurtzman and Vince Ng both won in three.
Ng is just 2 matches from breaking Roger Smith's record number of wins.
A standing room only crowd was on hand.
Conor Casey and Ross Wilson won their doubles match on court one in a tiebreaker. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman lost on two. Brenton Contini and Phil Metz lost on three. Both matches were 8-5.
Wurtzman won his singles match, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Ng won, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8). Metz went down 3 and 4 on three. Casey lost 6 and 2 on four. Contini sprained his right ankle but fought on, coming up short, 3-6, 2-6. Dennis Mertens played an excellent 2nd set but still fell short, 0-6, 4-6.
Coach Tucker felt the Bucks, "had a legitimate chance to win the doubles point. It was a lot closer than the score indicated on court two (of the doubles)." He admitted that OSU would have had to have had some luck to have won the match even with the doubles point. "We played four competitive singles matches and won two." He credited the depth of the Illini, but even with that he added, "We kept them out there for 3 and a half hours. It was a fight for them."
OSU Assistant Coach Dave Schilling echoed Tucker by saying, "We competed hard today. They are the number one team in the nation and on paper they are probably better than us but we were in just about every match."
"I was pleased that we won the match, of course," said Illinois Head Coach Craig Tiley , "but there weren't a lot of positives for us today. The conditions were tough on those four indoor courts, and Ohio State played very well against us, as they always do. I didn't think our players responded very well, overall."
3/30/03
The Bucks have beaten #23 Indiana, 5-2.
Vincent Ng moved closer to the record. He is just 3 away.
It was somewhat unusual: the Bucks lost the doubles point. Conor Casey and Ross Wilson lost on 1; Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman lost on 2. Brenton Contini and Phil Metz did win on 3, but the point went to Indiana.
OSU took 5 of the six singles matches to win. Ng played one and finished 3 and 3. Phil Metz lost on two, 3 and 4. Wurtzman went three sets for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win. Casey won on four, 2 and 2. Ross Wilson was taken to a tiebreak in the second set but took it to win on five. Contini went three sets and won on six, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Jeremy Wurtzman and Brenton Contini were the last courts to finish. Indiana needed both to win the match. The Hoosiers did what they could, taking both matches to 3 sets. Wurtzman broke serve at 5-4 in the third, and Indiana was done. Contini was down a break in the third; he got three straight games to win the set 7-5.
There are some real positives here. OSU was able to win without the doubles point. Close matches went OSU's way. Phil Metz is back in the lineup as a contributor: he went 3 and 4 against a ranked opponent. Ohio State was the underdog here and the Bucks still won. The match was played on the road; all four of OSU's losses have been on the road. Now the Buckeyes come back home.
Get the ruby slippers ready; #1 Illinois is coming to town.
3/25/03
Ohio State has defeated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers by a score of 6-1.
Vince Ng now stands just four matches away from the record number of wins at OSU. He is at 123.
The Buckeyes took the doubles point from the Chanticleers by a margin of 2-1. Phil Metz and Vince Ng lost on court one, 4-8. Conor Casey and Ross Wilson had a close match at two but won, 9-7. On three, Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman coasted to a 8-0 decision.
In singles, Coastal Carolina got a point when Arnaud Caffin defeated Ross Wilson at one, 6-2, 6-3. Phil Metz won on two, 0 and 2. Ng had no trouble on three, 0-0. Wurtzman had a similar time on four, 1-0. Brenton Contini won at five, 3-5. Dennis Mertens was on six and won, 4-3.
3/25/03
Brenton Contini: Big Ten Player of the Week
Brenton Contini has been named the season's first Big Ten Player of the Week. Contini was honored by the Big Ten for securing the Buckeyes 4-3 victory over Michigan State on March 14, in East Lansing. Contini defeated Spartan Eric Simonton in a three-set match, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), at No. 6. He was victorious in singles action as Ohio State shut out Michigan, 7-0, March 15, in Ann Arbor.
Brenton Contini
Contini posts an 11-1 duals record on the 2003 season and is perfect at the No. 6 position with five wins. He owns a 3-0 2003 record in Big Ten play.
The Ohio State tandem of Contini and Vince Ng owns a duals record of 12-2 on the season at the No. 3 spot. Contini and Ng won both of their doubles matches against Michigan State and Michigan.
Coach Tucker has said, "Contini adds a spark to the team. He is a fiery competitor, loves Ohio State and comes ready to compete every day." Brenton has a career dual singles record of 15-2. He is 35-10 in doubles.
Contini was a four-year starter at Dover High School, Dover, OH. He finished fourth in the Ohio High School State Championship as a freshman.
Brenton is a junior majoring in family resource management. He is the son of Michael and Kathie Contini.
3/15/03
The Bucks have beaten the Wolverines, 7-0.
The Bucks started by sweeping the doubles. Ross Wilson and Conor Casey won 8-1. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman were taken to 9-7. Brenton Contini and Vince Ng got the brooms out, 8-3.
Then Ohio State swept the singles. Wurtzman went 3 sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Ng finished 6-3, 6-4. Casey went 3 and 6(6). Dennis Mertens won 6-2, 7-6(5). Wilson was on five, 6-4, 6-0. Contini ended up 7-6(5), 6-1.
This is the second win on the road for the Buckeyes. They stay on the road, heading to Myrtle Beach to play Coastal Carolina. Then they are off to Bloomington. This was the 7th 7-0 match of the season.
Vince Ng is just five matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Former Big Ten Singles Champion Roger Smith ('86) holds that record with 126 wins. Ng stands at 122.
OSU 7 - UM 0. From the parking lot, the Blues Brothers Band started to blare Otis Redding's "I can't turn you loose."
3/14/03
The Buckeyes have defeated the Spartans, 4-3.
The Bucks did something they have not been able to do this season: win on the road.
The No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes claimed their fourth consecutive victory over Michigan State as they ruined an upset bid with a 4-3 win. The Spartans never led against OSU in a match that went down to a third-set tiebreaker in singles. Brenton Contini was the one in the end who carried it off.
Almost every point was up for grabs in doubles and singles, but the Buckeyes shot out to a 1-0 lead with the doubles point. As Coach Tucker has emphasized so many times this season, "The doubles point is the most important point in college tennis." Conor Casey and Ross Wilson won their match 8-6. The point was then assured when Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman won at two, also by a 8-6 decision. Brenton Contini and Vince Ng lost at three by the same score.
While Ohio State continued to contend for the Big Ten title, it added depth to its lineup with the return of Phil Metz, who was a regular in the ITA national rankings. But his past injuries would prove too much for him as he defaulted his match at No. 1 with Sparty Formanczyk leading, 6-3, 1-1.
OSU regained a one-point advantage as No. 44 Vince Ng grabbed a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 3. The team match would only get more interesting in the final four contests. Dropping the first set to Conor Casey at No. 5, Jimmy McGuire, a central Ohio stand-out from Upper Arlington High School, used all of his emotions in hopes of defeating the Buckeyes in dual match play for the first time in his career. The plan worked on his part as he came back to take the final two sets against Conor for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
In what seemed to be a strong advantage for the Buckeyes, Jeremy Wurtzman, who is ranked No. 17 in the nation, was moved down to No. 2 with the addition of Metz. However, Jeremy had to go to the wire to win, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4.
Even though things looked good for the Buckeyes and bleak for the Spartans as they trailed 3-2 with senior Goran Topalo losing 5-2 in the third set at No. 4 to Dennis Mertens, the match was far from over. Topalo held serve and broke Mertens to make it 5-4. Topalo would save one match point en route to tying the match at 5-5 and saved two more on his serve at 6-5 to reach the tiebreaker. With the score tied at 4-4 in the tie-break, Mertens missed an overhead smash and Topalo won the next two points in the 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) victory.
As Topalo's match ended, everyone crowded around court number seven at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility to witness the battle at No. 6 between Simonton and Brenton Contini. Simonton fell behind early by losing the first set, but captured a second set tiebreaker to pull even with Contini. The third set would also go the distance as Simonton pulled out an ace to hold serve and reach the tiebreaker. Brenton, however, never allowed Simonton to take the lead and exited with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) win which also secured the Buckeyes' second Big Ten win of the season.
Doubles:
No. 1 Casey/Wilson (OSU) def. Marshall/Simonton (MSU) 8-6
No. 2 Green/Wurtzman (OSU) def. Hourani/McGuire (MSU) 8-6
No. 3 Formanczyk/Mitchell (MSU) def. Contini/Ng (OSU) 8-6
Singles:
No. 1 Andrew Formanczyk (MSU) def. Phil Metz (OSU) 6-1, 1-1 (def.)
No. 2 No. 17 Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) def. Chris Mitchell (MSU) 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4
No. 3 No. 44 Vince Ng (OSU) def. Cameron Marshall (MSU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 4 Goran Topalo (MSU) def. Dennis Mertens (OSU) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)
No. 5 Jimmy McGuire (MSU) def. Conor Casey (OSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 Brenton Contini (OSU) def. Eric Simonton (MSU) 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(5)
Vince Ng moves forward in the countdown; he is just six matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Former Big Ten Singles Champion Roger Smith ('86) holds that record with 126 wins. Ng stands at 121.
3/9/03
#20 OSU has lost to #8 Mississippi, 1-6.
Click here for the update from the Mississippi web site.
At one doubles, Conor Casey and Vince Ng took the court. On two, Brenton Contini and Jeremy Wurtzman paired up. Coach Tucker played Scott Green and Ross Wilson on three. The order of finish was the exact opposite; and unfortunately, Ole Miss won all three courts to take the doubles point. Green and Wilson finished at 4-8. Contini and Wurtzman took it to the limit but ended 7-9. Casey and Ng then came off, losing 4-8.
In singles, #13 Jeremy Wurtzman played first court. Vince Ng was on court two. Conor Casey started at three. Dennis Mertens was on four. Brenton Contini played five. On six, Ross Wilson played for the Buckeyes. Ng came off first with an uncharacteristic 1 and 1 loss. Conor Casey was next off. He played a close first set but lost the match 4 and 2. Brenton ended his winning streak at 9 wins with a 3 and 2 loss on court 5. Mertens made it interesting in the second set but still lost in straight sets, 2-6, 5-7. Jeremy Wurtzman and Ross Wilson both went 3 sets. Ross was the lone winner, going 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-1. Jeremy went down 6-4, 5-7, 1-6. Ross kept his streak alive and is now at 8 wins in a row.
Vince Ng remains just seven matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Former Big Ten Singles Champion Roger Smith ('86) holds that record with 126 wins. Ng stands at 120.
3/2/03
#20 Ohio State sweeps #51 Indiana State, 7-0.
In the battle of the trees, the Buckeyes were stronger than the Sycamores.
Indiana State came to the Jesse Owens Rec Center with a number 51 ranking. They had some good tennis players and they came to play. The doubles set the tone. On one, Conor Casey and Ross Wilson were down 4-7 to Henry Choi and David O'Connell--one game from losing. Ross held serve. He and Conor were then able to break. Now they were just down 6-7. All the Sycamores needed to do was break Conor to win the match. It didn't happen. At 7-7, Indiana State did hold. They had another chance to win, but they had to break. Again, it didn't happen. Ross won his serve to take the match to a tie-break. The tie-break was about as close as the match itself with OSU getting one mini-break and taking the tie-break by a score of 8-6. At two doubles, the tension was high early but then the Bucks started to roll. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman were at 4-4 with Verdan Vidovic and Lovre Brajkovic when Jeremy held. He and Scott then broke IS. Scott followed by holding his serve, and then the two Buckeyes broke Indiana State again to win the match, 8-4. Scott commented, "I got off to a little slow start but then we got the momentum going. I was a little nervous but then we ran off games." The outcome on three was similar to two when the Bucks pulled out to a 7-4 advantage on two breaks. With Brenton Contini serving, he and Vince Ng finished off Ionut Hurduc and Dalibor Mihajlovic to take the match, 8-4. "Returns and volleys are the best part of my game," Contini offered. When asked if he like playing doubles, he answered with an emphatic, "I love to play doubles! The key to doubles is returning serve and holding serve." Brenton held serve. Another doubles sweep for the Buckeyes.
In singles, #13 Jeremy Wurtzman played on one. Four games passed with each player holding serve. At that point, Jeremy broke Verdan Vidovic and never looked back. He was in complete control to take the match 6-3, 6-0. Jeremy said, "I served well and had a lot of confidence--I just went with it. I lost to him last year here in a three-set match. My plan was to play aggressive and come to the net as much as I could." Vince Ng was on the court a little longer than Jeremy, but the result was the same: an OSU win. Vince battled some long points with Lovre Brajkovic and ended with a 6-3, 6-1 Buckeye victory. Vince commented, "He was a good player, dangerous. I felt pretty good and got off to a quick start. We had some long points and he got tired." When asked about the length of some of his points, Vince said, "I don't always have to win them; I try to wear the other player down and even if I lose the point, I consider it a victory because he's going to have to fight it out the rest of the match." Dennis Mertens played Sycamore Henry Choi on three. The OSU left-hander had some nice points in a 6-4, 6-4 match. "I played a really good match; I got broken once in the whole match," Dennis offered. "I didn't serve really well, but my ground strokes with my forehand were really good." Conor Casey had a close match on four but overcame David O'Connell in a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 match. He said, "I held serve the whole time, that helped me a lot and I returned a little better." Conor complimented O'Connell, "He was very good and I kept playing hard; I heard that he was a fighter and he would keep trying to come back." He summed it up, "It was a good match, it was fun." Ross Wilson played five and looked in complete control for a first-set 6-2 margin. Dmytro Ishtoganov came back to win the second, 5-7. The third would go the distance with Ross winning the tie-break, 7-2. A key game was at 5-5: Ross was able to call on his serve and move ahead 6-5. Also, his good serving and three mini-breaks helped in the tie-break. As a left-hander, Ross said, "I like to slice up the tee in the deuce court and kick it out wide in the ad. Sometimes I throw in some kick serves to keep them off balance." Brenton Contini played six. He had a relatively easy 6-3, 6-1 match against Dalibor Mihajlovic. Brenton said of Dalibor, "He's got a big serve but that falls right into my good returns--the return is probably the best part of my game." Brenton kept his streak alive; he is now at 9 wins in a row. Ross Wilson is at 7 in a row.
Coach Tucker was very pleased with the win and pleased with the whole weekend. "When we started the year, we had a tough schedule and we have been playing without arguably one of our best players, Phil Metz, and to be 10-3, #20 in the country, and to have a chance to go to Mississippi next week, that's what we need--even with Phil Metz in the line-up and you tell me we would be 10-3, I would say, 'I'll take it.'" Tucker complimented Jeremy Wurtzman, "Jeremy is a very smart tennis player. Once he plays a guy a couple times, he knows exactly what he has to do." On Conor Casey, he confided, "Conor sat out with knee surgery. Both falls that he has been here, he has not be able to do too much. It takes time to get back in the groove. We knew it would take some time." On getting the doubles point, coach concluded, "The doubles point is the most important point in college tennis. When you then put 6 individuals out there, you can almost always count on two wins; then all you need is that one more point. We're playing pretty good doubles and to have two freshmen playing is good."
Vince Ng is just seven matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Former Big Ten Singles Champion Roger Smith ('86) holds that record with 126 wins. Ng now stands at 120.
The Bucks are 10-0 at Jesse Owens West. Keep the ruby slippers in a safe place while the Buckeyes go on the road.
The endurance award goes to Carol and Allen Green. They spent something like 18 hours watching tennis this weekend. Their son, Scott, plays for the Buckeyes and their daughter, Julie, plays for the Dayton Flyers. Let's see, this weekend, they saw Buckeyes, Sycamores, Terrapins, Vikings, Flyers, and Colonels (Eastern Kentucky) on the courts.
2/28/03
#20 OSU shuts out Cleveland State, 7-0.
It was clear from the start, OSU was just too strong for Cleveland State. It's not that the Vikings don't have good players--they do. These players served well, hit good ground strokes, and volleyed; they just couldn't hit enough of them. They needed that one-more-shot to get the game and without the game, there was no chance for sets--no sets, no match. Consistency is the difference in levels of sports. The Buckeyes were clearly more consistent. With a number 20 ranking, that was to be expected.
It began with the doubles. Conor Casey and Jeremy Wurtzman looked in control, but Jay Tee and Eric Winn were hanging close, just down 3-2. Then it was over. Jeremy held serve, OSU broke. Now the Bucks are up 5-2. Conor holds and before you know it, Jeremy is serving for the match. They win 8-2. On court 2, Scott Green and Ross Wilson beat Paul Haley and Jordan Reynolds, 8-0. The same result was on court 3; Brenton Contini and Vince Ng were 8-0 winners.
The Buckeyes' strength continued in the singles. Cleveland State was able to win but 10 games. At one, Vince Ng knocked off Eric Winn, 6-0, 6-1. Jeremy Wurtzman beat Jay Tee, 6-3, 6-1. Conor Casey played three and won 6-0, 6-2 against Paul Haley. On four, Dennis Mertens played a good serve-and-volley match against Shawn Whitehouse with a 6-0, 6-1 result. Ross Wilson moved his win streak to 7 with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Jordan Reynolds. Ben Kirksey eliminated Adam Mercurio, 6-1, 6-0. "I hit the ball pretty clean, it wasn't as tough of competition (with reference to the Maryland match) but I can't be upset about that. I wish maybe I had played this match first; it would have knocked some of the rust off," Ben said.
The Bucks expect a much stronger opponent in Indiana State on Sunday. The Sycamores will bring a #51 ranking with them.
Vince Ng is just eight matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Former Big Ten Singles Champion Roger Smith ('86) holds that record with 126 wins. Ng now stands at 119.
The Bucks are 9-0 at Jesse Owens West.
2/28/03
#20 OSU has defeated Maryland by a score of 5-2.
Though there were some changes in the lineup, the Buckeyes kept the streak at Jesse Owens West alive. They are now 8-0 in that building.
The match began with OSU dominating the doubles. Conor Casey and Jeremy Wurtzman teamed on court one. They took control of the match very early, and Jeremy served it out for a 8-2 win. Court two had Scott Green teaming with Ross Wilson. The results were the same: a one-sided 8-3 win with Green and Wilson breaking the Terrapins for the match. Green hit a down-the-line shot from the ad court for a winner to end the match. On court three, it was a little closer--but not much. Brenton Contini and Dennis Mertens found themselves at 6-4 after Maryland held serve. Contini then held his serve, and the pair broke serve to win the match, 8-4.
Doubles point to OSU: Buckeyes 1, Terrapins 0.
The top two singles players for OSU were the steady #13 Jeremy Wurtzman and the aggressive #65 Vince Ng. Their matches played out very similarly to how the have been in the past. Wurtzman came out and dominated. Serves, ground strokes, volleys--the entire package--everything was working. The end result was a 6-0 first set. The Maryland player held to start the second set, but that was it. Jeremy chalked up another win, 6-0 6-1. Troy Demers for Maryland even played some nice serve and volley points in that second set; they were to no avail. On two, Vince Ng played his typical way: a close first set and then a dominating second set. It's amazing, Ng's opponent always looks like he is in the match, then all of a sudden, it's over. The first set went back and forth. Ng would break, Chris Chiu would break, Ng would hold, Chris Chiu would hold. Then Vince breaks to go ahead 6-5 and holds serve to win the first set 7-5. In the second set, Vince breaks right away to go ahead 1-0. There was no stopping him at that point. He served a love-game to win the second set 6-2.Playing his second match of the season at three was Ben Kirksey. He had played in the West Virginia match and won. He was not as fortunate today. He played a close match against Pierre Rudder but lost, 3-6, 4-6. Ben fought hard to get it to 4-4 in the second set. At that point, Rudder broke Kirksey's serve and was able to hold for the match. Ben commented, "The match was tough for me in the beginning; I've only played one match earlier in the year. I got off to a slow start and got down 3-0 and it ended up just about even (3 and 4). I could never put it together at the end and I wasn't hitting the ball too clean. It's different from practice in a match." Brenton Contini and Ross Wilson played the 5 and 6 positions. Both players clearly controlled their first sets. At five, Brenton missed very few shots to take the first set 6-2. Ross was matching him with a 6-1 set. Both players were forced to play closer second sets. Contini missed a number of shots that he had been making in the first set but was able to take the match. Maryland's Scott Peters held serve to force Brenton to serve at 5-4. Though the game went to deuce twice, Brenton was able to win the second set, 6-4. This keeps his win-streak intact. He is now at 8 wins. Ross would see his second set go to 6-3. This was his 6th straight win. The longest match of the day was on court four. Scott Green went on right away but was the last to finish. His score was 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9). It was a disappointing loss, but Scott took it about as far as he could. He definitely had his chances but couldn't get the point when he needed it to take the match. Give credit to David Reichsfeld for keeping the pressure on and answering each of Scott's challenges.
Ben Kirksey played three.
Vince Ng is just nine matches away from setting the career singles wins record at Ohio State. Roger Smith ('86) holds the record with 126 wins. Ng now stands at 118.
OSU 5, Maryland 2
Toto is happy; it is good to be home.
2/24/03
Other news: Over the weekend, #2 Illinois beat #3 Baylor and #6 Florida; Florida had just upset #1 UCLA.
2/23/03
#27 OSU men's tennis defeats #72 Penn State by a score of 7-0.
Ohio State continued its dominance at home by defeating the Nittany Lions in a chilly Jesse Owens Rec Center.
The Bucks started with a sweep of the doubles. Playing court one, Conor Casey and Ross Wilson won their second doubles match of the weekend, 8-5. Roddy Cantey and Clint Keithly looked like they were in the match early on; but in the 7-5 game, Conor served it out. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman were also repeat winners on court two. Their strong serving and crisp volleys took them to an easy 8-2 win over Matt Frakes and Brad Nudell. Early on three, there were some tense moments. Brenton Contini and Vincent Ng trailed Nate Emge and Mark Barry 3 games to 6. Brenton and Vincent rattled off 5 straight games to take the final doubles match, 8-6.
OSU-1, PSU-0
In singles, Jeremy Wurtzman had no trouble on court one. He was just too strong for Nate Emge. He broke Emge the first time he served and cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win. Shortly after Jeremy finished, Conor Casey, who was playing court three, finished up. He had a little closer match but served out the 5-4 game to take the match against Roddy Cantey by a score of 6-3, 6-4.Dennis Mertens played court four. He finished after Conor and had a relatively easy match. He defeated Matt Frakes, 6-2, 6-3. Dennis has struggled some playing on the hardcourts here in the U.S. Hailing from Braaschatt, Belgium, it has been a bit of an adjustment for him. He said, "I'm starting to feel better this weekend. Yesterday, in the match (with VCU), I played a pretty good match; the guy is ranked in the world, I didn't win, but I played a lot better--just a couple of breaks." When asked about the match against Penn State, he responded, "Today I had a comfortable win. I was in control all of the match. I feel better now because I had a three-match losing streak. I feel like I'm starting to play at my level." Vince Ng, playing court 2, was next to finish. He played Mark Barry in a close first set. It looked like Vince was in control at 5-5 when he broke Barry to take a 6-5 lead. Barry came right back to break Ng to send it to a buster. Vince was able to win the tie-break 7-5 and take the match 7-6, 6-2. Once Vince got the first set, he was on a roll, closing it out by breaking Barry's serve in the final game of the match.
Dennis MertensBrenton Contini took the court on 5 against Todd Stecko. Brenton had a slow start and got down 2-5. He indicated that "the five and six players have to sit down and wait after the doubles. And especially in this building, it gets kind of cold and the heat is not on. It takes a while to get going. A ten minute warm-up is not enough." With well-placed serves and great passing shots, he was able to get back to 5-5. At that point, he broke Stecko and appeared ready to serve it out. Stecko broke right back and put the set into a tie-breaker. Brenton got ahead 6-5 in the buster and Stecko double faulted the set point to him. This was enough to get Brenton fired up, "You get that momentum and that kind of carries you through." The second set belonged to Contini. He broke serve at 2-1 and again at 4-1. He then held serve to take the match, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. Brenton now has a 7 match win-streak going. "It feels pretty good. I'd like to keep it going." When asked if the streak enters his mind, he responded, "It enters your mind, but not while you're out on the court. Once you get on the court, you just focus on the match." Ross Wilson finished on court 6 moments after Contini. He had a somewhat closer match against Clint Keithly but was able to secure the singles sweep with a 6-4, 6-3 win.
OSU-7, PSU-0
Coach Tucker commented, "This was a good, solid match for us and a good start to the Big Ten season." With regard to the possibility of a letdown after yesterday's big win, he said, "Anytime you have a big win individually or as a team, you may let down the next day; you are always a little scared of that in the tennis game. But we were able to come out here and take care of business right from the start in the doubles point." He was pleased that all courts were able "to get first sets and get on a roll." He attributed this to focus and concentration. He is hoping that the team will get back some of its health. He said that Phil Metz has started to hit balls and Tucker is hoping to have him back soon. Next weekend the Bucks play three matches and Tucker said, "That will be tough," noting that "Indiana State has a very good team."
Penn State is now 3-2 and 0-1 in the Big Ten.
2/22/03
#27 OSU men's tennis upsets #14 Virginia Commonwealth.
There's no place like home.
After losing on the road to #1 UCLA, then-ranked #14 Alabama and then-ranked #28 Vanderbilt, the Buckeyes returned to Jesse Owens West Rec Center to pull the upset. The presently-ranked #14 VCU Rams came to town with a seasoned team but met a Buckeye team hungry to get a win. The match was decided by Freshman Ross Wilson in a three-set win. Buckeyes 4, Rams 2.
The Bucks are now 6-3 and undefeated at home. They host Penn State tomorrow at noon to kick off the Big Ten season. The match will be played at Jesse Owens West.
You've seen the movie. Dorothy knew what to say. And the Buckeyes proved it today.
There is no place like home! The Buckeyes extended their home record to 6-0. VCU came to town with an older, international team: players from Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Hungary. Their experience did not stop the Buckeyes.
There were several points where the match was decided. One was the doubles point.
Two of the three doubles matches went to OSU to build a little confidence in the minds of the home team. At third, Brenton Contini and Vincent Ng were the first to finish and it wasn't good, 2-8. The two remaining matches would go to the wire. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman won their match 8-6. Scott served out the match. When the freshman was asked about the pressure, he said, "It was a long game and closing out was good. We knew we had to win; we knew it was 0-1 (in doubles matches). Jeremy had lost his serve just before that and I had to hold. You got to make a lot of first serves and when you got Jeremy on your side, its not too bad." Conor Casey and Ross Wilson secured the doubles point when they finished 9-8 (7-5). Conor said, "We knew we had to play pretty well against these guys because they have always been high in the rankings. They have a lot of players who age-wise are a lot more mature than us." Conor served two aces at the end to secure the win.
Conor Casey
With the doubles point in hand, three singles wins would secure the match.
The next deciding point was the play of Jeremy Wurtzman at number one singles. He started the match and Florian Marqueardt from Germany could not miss. Jeremy lost the first set 6-3. It looked bad. But everyone who has played tennis knows that momentum can change quickly. Jeremy adjusted his game and did not look back, finishing with 6-3, 6-2 sets. Vincent Ng started a new winning streak against Marton Ott from Hungary (his old one had ended at 17 against Alabama). It didn't come easy, however. Ng had to win the first set in a tie-break but rolled in the second set to win 6-1.
OSU-3, VCU-O. The match is looking in hand, but four matches were to be played.
Conor Casey played Pedro Nieto from Spain at three. It was a hard-fought match. Conor took it about as far as he could (4-6, 6-4, 4-6), but it ended as a loss. Dennis Mertens lost at four against Mats Norin of Sweden, 4-6, 3-6. As the score indicates, he was also in the match, but just couldn't pull off the win.
Now it's OSU-3, VCU-2 with two matches to be played.
An undefeated Brenton Contini took the court at five. He would match up against VCU's Daniel Casquero from Spain.On court six, the Bucks would have Ross Wilson. Ross played Francesc Lleal, also of Spain. Both matches would go three sets. Ross won his first set easily. He looked completely in control and showed a lot of confidence. Brenton lost his first set, but as he is known to do, he fought back to win the second set at 6-4. In the meantime, Ross lost the second set 0-6. It didn't look very good. His confidence seem to wane. Both he and Lleal pounded the ball. On serve at 4-3 in the third, Wilson broke Lleal's serve and held his own to win the match. There it was, the upset. Contini's match was called. Wilson felt that Lleal "came out a little tight; he was hitting a lot of balls out and missing a lot of shots. I lost my focus a little bit in the second. In the third, I just re-grouped and focused and came back." When asked about the pressure at the end, Ross responded, "I served it out, that's my favorite thing. When I got to 30-love, I just focused on making my shots."
Ross Wilson
#27 OSU-4, #14 VCU-2.
Coach Tucker summed it up. "We did what we had to do to win. It was a good win. Those guys were 14 (in the nation). That's a good win." He said that the doubles point was crucial to the win. He felt he got good play from all the courts in singles. Even where there were losses, Tucker said, "I was pleased with our play at 3 and 4; they are starting to play much better. Vince did a great job winning the tie-breaker and Jeremy did a great job. Ross is playing well for a true freshman."
OSU is 6-3 and VCU is 9-3 on the season.
2/21/03
Coach Tucker talked about the last three matches and the upcoming weekend. "We played a great match against UCLA, all things considered and not being outside in months. We had some opportunities. For twenty minutes, I thought we were going to win that match. They are the number 1 ranked team in the courtly. Now at Alabama and we had 18 match points. We could have beat those guys. And then we were without three starters against Vanderbilt." Tucker credited Vanderbilt with being a very good team, "I actually think they are a top ten team in the country. This was the toughest schedule that we have ever had. We put this together last year when we were 14, now we are going to have to fight hard" in the upcoming match with VCU. "We never thought we would be so depleted. We never thought we wouldn't have Phil Metz, we wouldn't have Ross Wilson or Kevin McLean. Scott Green has done a great job in doubles, be we're missing a lot. We're young, we're starting 3 freshman most days. For us to win, we're going to have to be competitive through all of the first sets. We need to stay with it and give ourselves opportunities to win sets. That will lead to matches and obviously dual matches."
2/18/03
The team suffered two losses on the road over the weekend. The Buckeyes fell in a very close 3-4 match to #14 Alabama and a disappointing 1-6 outcome to # 28 Vanderbilt. However, the Bucks are still perfect at Jesse Owens West. This contrasts the 0-3 record on the road. Brenton Contini (Jr., Dover, Ohio) remains undefeated as he improves his 2003 record to 6-0. Next up, the Buckeyes return to Jesse Owens looking to stay on track with their home winning streak; they are 5-0 in that building on Kenny Road. Ohio State will play host to No. 16 Virginia Commonwealth at noon on Saturday, February 22nd. The Bucks will then face Penn State in the Buckeyes' Big Ten opener at noon on Sunday, February 23rd, at the Recreation Center. There is no admission charge but seating is limited--get there early. VCU stays in town to play Michigan State on Sunday at the Racquet Club on Bethel Rd.
2/16/03
The #24 Buckeyes were upset, 6-1, by #28 Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt dominated doubles action as it swept Ohio State at all three positions. Conor Casey (Jr., Ontario, Canada) and Dennis Mertens (Fr., Braaschaat, Belgium) were paired at the No. 1 position. The Ohio State duo fell to Bobby Reynolds and Lewie Smith, 3-8. Ohio State couldn't stop Vanderbilt at the No. 2 position either. Jeremy Wurtzman (Jr., Rochester, N.Y.) and Scott Green (Fr., North Canton, Ohio) suffered the loss to Scott Brown and Chad Harris, 5-8. Vanderbilt's Zach Dailey and Jens Pilgram-Larsen wrapped up doubles play after defeating Ohio State's Vince Ng (Sr., Broadview Heights, Ohio) and Brenton Contini (Jr., Dover, Ohio), 8-3. Ng and Contini, now 7-1, suffered their first doubles loss of the 2003 season. The loss of the doubles point may have been an omen as to the outcome of the match.
Wurtzman, ranked No. 7 in the country, fell to No. 8 Reynolds, 6-7, 0-6, at the No. 1 singles position. The first set was forced into a tiebreaker where Reynolds picked up a 3-0 lead and continued his momentum into the second set to beat Wurtzman. Ng, ranked No. 45, went into the No. 2 position with a 24-3 singles record on the year. Harris, ranked No. 14, defeated Ng, 6-2, 6-1. Casey had a tight first set (5-7) against Vanderbilt's Dailey, though he slipped, 1-6, in the second set at the No. 4 position. At the No. 5 singles position, Contini tallied one point for the Buckeyes after defeating Vanderbilt's Scott Brown, 6-4, 7-6. Contini continued his winning streak; he is now 6-0 on the season.
Singles:
1) # 8 Bobby Reynolds (VU) def. #7 Jeremy Wurtzman 7-6, 6-0
2) #14 Chad Harris (VU) def. #45 Vince Ng 6-2, 6-1
3) Matt Lockin (VU) def. Dennis Mertens 6-2, 6-0
4) Zach Dailey (VU) def. Conor Casey 7-5, 6-1
5) Brenton Contini (OSU) def. Scott Brown 6-4, 7-6
6) Lewie Smith (VU) def. Ross Wilson 6-1, 6-3
Doubles:
1) Reynold/Smith (VU) def. Casey/Mertensn 8-3
2) Brown Harris (VU) def. Green/Wurtzman 8-5
3) Dailey/Pilgram-Larsen (VU) Contini/Ng 8-3
2/14/03
#24 Bucks just miss #14 Tide.
The No. 24 men's tennis team suffered a 4-3 loss to No. 14 Alabama Friday at the Hank Crisp Indoor Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Buckeyes fall to 5-2 on the 2003 season and the undefeated Crimson Tide has seven matches in their win column. Ohio State remains perfect at home (5-0) but drops to 0-2 on the road.
In doubles action, the Ohio State duo of Vince Ng (Sr., Broadview Heights, Ohio) and Brenton Contini (Jr., Dover, Ohio) improved their winning streak to 7-0 as they upset Alabama's No. 51 Maxim Belski and Bradley Freidman, 8-3. Ohio State fell to the Tide at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions, which earned Alabama the doubles point. Jeremy Wurtzman (Jr., Rochester, N.Y.) and Scott Green (Fr., North Canton, Ohio) fell to the No. 8-ranked tandem of Geoff Hiscox and Stephen Mitchell, 3-8. In a very close match, Alabama's William Boyles and Chris Gostek defeated Conor Casey (Jr., Ontario, Canada) and Ross Wilson (Fr., Toledo, Ohio), 9-8. The loss of the doubles point would prove to be big.
However, Ohio State still nearly upset the No. 14 Tide in singles action. The Buckeyes claimed three singles points at the Nos. 2, 4 and 6 positions. Wurtzman, ranked No. 7 in the country, improved his 2002-03 singles record to 17-5 after defeating No. 63 Mitchell, 7-5, 6-2. Contini closed with a victory over Hiscox, 6-3, 6-2. In the 2003 season, Contini remains perfect in both singles (5-0) and doubles (7-0) action. Wilson was victorious over Michael Ray Pallares, 6-3, 7-5 and remains undefeated with three singles wins on the 2003 season. At the No. 5 singles position, Kevin McLean (So., Vancouver, Canada) fell to Christian Brodersen, 2-6, 4-6. Ng, ranked No. 45, suffered his first loss after a 17-match winning streak (includes 2002-03 tournament play) in a tiebreaker to No. 39 Belski, 4-6, 7-6, 5-7. Ng's loss gave Alabama the 4-3 decision. Belski had to fight his way to the win. He turned back three match points to secure the Crimson Tide victory. He was down in the third set at 4-5 and love-40. He served his way back and then broke Vince. From there he was not to be stopped. After the match he said, "I was just thinking about winning the first point (at love-40). I knew if I won the first one I had a chance."
Singles:
1) #39 Maxim Belski (UA) def. #45 Vince Ng 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
2) #7 Jeremy Wurtzman(OSU) def. #63 Stephen Mitchell 7-5, 6-2
3) Chris Gostek (UA) def. Conor Casey 6-2, 6-3
4) Brenton Contini (OSU) def. Geoff Hiscox 6-3, 6-2
5) Christian Brodersen (UA) def. Kevin McLean 6-2, 6-4
6) Ross Wilson (OSU) def. Michael Ray Pallares 6-3, 7-5
Doubles:
1) #8 Hiscox/Mitchell (UA) def. Green/Wurtzman 8-3
2) Boyles/Gostek (UA) def. Casey/Wilson 9-8
3) Contini/Ng (OSU) def. #51 Belski/Friedman 8-3
2/7/03
#28 Buckeyes fall to #1 UCLA
The Buckeyes lost 5-2.
Vince Ng and Brenton Contini were the lone winners for OSU in singles.
OSU lost the doubles point, but Ng and Contini did win their doubles match.
The No. 1-ranked UCLA men's tennis team kept its perfect record in tact Friday, posting a 5-2 decision over the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes at UCLA's Los Angeles Tennis Center. With the victory, the Bruins improve to 6-0 on the season, while the Buckeyes fall to 5-1 with their first loss of the season.
The Bruins started the day by winning the one point awarded for doubles play. Following a UCLA victory at the No. 2 position and an Ohio State win in the No. 3 slot, the point came down to the No. 1 court. In that match, UCLA's Tobias Clemens and Lassi Ketola , ranked No. 39 in the country, defeated OSU's Scott Green/Jeremy Wurtzman, 8-5, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
In singles action, UCLA went ahead 2-0 following Ketola's 6-2, 6-0 win over OSU's Conor Casey at the No. 5 spot. Moments later, the Bruins earned a 3-0 advantage when Erfan Djahangiri registered a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Buckeye Dennis Mertens in the No. 3 slot. OSU cut the lead to 3-1 with a win at No. 6 singles where Brenton Contini outlasted Bruin freshman Chris Surapol , 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. The match was then clinched for the Bruins at the top singles position, where No. 12-ranked Clemens of UCLA pulled off the slight upset over seventh-ranked Wurtzman, 6-0, 7-6(4), giving the Bruins a 4-1 lead. Ohio State finished their scoring and cut the deficit to 4-2 at the No. 2 court where Buckeye Vince Ng knocked off Rodrigo Grilli , 7-6(4), 6-2. In the final match of the day at No. 4 singles, Bruin sophomore Chris Lam recorded a three-set victory over Kevin McLean, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
Coach Tucker was positive, "This was not too bad, considering we were playing the Bruins without our number 1 player, Phil Metz, and our number 4 player, Ross Wilson." Playing outside may have made a difference, "This was the first time we played outdoors since October." He concluded by saying, "We were very competitive and we had a chance to win."
Doubles:
1. Green and Wurtzman lost 5-8
2. Casey and Mertens lost 4-8
3. Contini and Ng won 8-6
Singles:
1. Wurtzman lost 0-6, 6-7
2. Ng won 7-6, 6-2
3. Mertens lost 2-6, 1-6
4. McLean lost 3-6, 6-2, 2-6
5. Casey lost 2-6, 0-6
6. Contini won 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
2/1/03
#24 OSU Men's Tennis Team defeats Depaul and West Virginia
Though the day for the OSU men's tennis team started early and ended late at the Jesse Owens West Recreation Center, the results were the same: OSU victories. OSU is now 5-0; this is the best start since the 1989-90 season.
OSU began in the morning against Depaul University by sweeping the doubles and securing that point. Conor Casey and Dennis Mertens defeated Sam Davidson and Robert Kotroczo by a score of 8-3. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman made a better showing by beating Eric Huffman and Andy Michael 8-2. At third doubles, Brenton Contini and Vince Ng made quick work of Michael Fessler and Will Wang 8-1.
With the doubles point in hand, OSU Coach Ty Tucker admitted he was "able to play some players in positions to get them experience." Some of this was because of injuries: some minor, others a bit more problematic. Again this week, Phil Metz, maybe OSU's best player, was on the sideline as a cheerleader. "I hope to be back playing in about three weeks," he said of his chronic back problem. His cheering wasn't enough to help Dennis Mertens who fell to the Blue Demon's Andy Michael 6-4, 6-2. Dennis, who has been in the U.S. from Belgium for a little over four weeks, admitted to still be "having problems adjusting to the faster surface here." Some of the shots that would be great on slow clay courts "just don't work as well on the faster hardcourts." Still, he continues to learn and improve and his left handed serve is effective in a building where the sideline walls are so close. Vince Ng defeated Robert Kotroczo 7-6, 6-4. Vince struggled a little at times but was able to get his shots at the right moments. Jeremy Wurtzman blanked Will Wang 6-0, 6-0. At four, Kevin McLean used his big serve to beat Eric Huffman 6-4, 6-0. Brenton Contini played five and won against Sam Davidson 6-4, 6-2. This was Brenton's first singles match of the season. Freshman, Scott Green, finished OSU's victory with a 6-0, 6-2 match against Michael Fessler. Though young, Green is moving very well on court and seems to be making improvement in every match.
Coach Tucker went with the same doubles lineup against the Mountaineers as in the Depaul match. West Virginia showed a little more strength than Depaul, but OSU was still able to sweep the doubles point. Conor Casey and Dennis Mertens were able to break a big-serving Eric Kochanski and his partner, Tony Epkey. Clutch play by both Casey and Mertens lead to a 8-6 win. Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman had fewer problems with Ian Bliss and Chris Green and won 8-3. Brenton Contini and Vince Ng again teamed together at third doubles; they defeated Kyle Markham and J.R. Randall by a score of 8-4.
In singles, Coach Tucker came with a somewhat different lineup against West Virginia. Jeremy Wurtzman played one. Wurtzman commented, Eric Kochanski "came out serving big at the beginning, then I got a rhythm." Once Wurtzman got that rhythm it was all over; from 3-all in the first set, Kochanski did not win a game. Wurtzman showed his number 7 ranking by making pinpoint passing shots, crisp volleys, and well-placed serves on his way to the 6-3, 6-0 win. Vince Ng was just too strong for Tony Epkey. The Mountaineer looked like he had a fairly good ground-stroke game; problem being, Ng has a great ground-stroke game. What looked like a close match at the beginning turned into a one-side 6-1, 6-3 win for the number 45 ranked Ng. Conor Casey stepped in at third singles and had little problem with J.R. Randall. All the parts of Casey's game were working and he finished the match quickly with a score of 6-2, 6-1. Ben Kirksey played four for OSU. Tucker confided that Kirksey "had not played a match in a year." That may explain his slow start, losing the first set 3-6 to Ian Bliss. Kirksey found his shots and won the second set 6-0. The two then played a match tie-break with Ben winning 11-9. Brenton Contini again played five. He started a little slow and trailed 0-3 before finding his game. Brenton commented on the slow start, "I think it is mostly you play the doubles, then you get an hour and a half break; it takes a little time to get warmed-up." He came on to win the first set 6-4. Contini looked in control at 5-2 of the second set. However, Julian Mesa broke Brenton's serve and then held serve. "It gets a little tense after you get broke at 5-2 and you have to serve it out at 5-4," Contini admitted. Nonetheless, Brenton kept his focus and won 4 straight points to take the second set and the match. Scott Green played six and had little trouble with Kyle Markham. Good footwork and solid strokes lead to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Jeremy Wurtzman is ranked #7 in the nation.
Coach Tucker was pleased with the play of his team across the board and he was happy "to get everybody in that wasn't injured." He was delighted with the depth of this team and with players being able to step into the five and six positions.
OSU will spend the next weeks on the road. The team travels to #1 UCLA on February 7th, plays at Alabama on the 14th, and then goes to Vanderbilt. They return to the Jesse Owens West Rec. Center to play Virginia Commonwealth on February 22nd. The match is slated for noon. Tucker admitted, "The coming schedule is rough, number one UCLA; then Vanderbilt and Alabama, two top 20 teams; from there VCU comes to town, which could be the best team in the country. That's followed the next day with the Big Ten opener (Penn State)." He concluded by saying, "We're just hoping to get everybody healthy."
Match results:
#24 OSU defeats Depaul 6-1
Singles:
1. Andy Michael (D) def. Dennis Mertens (OSU) 6-4 6-2
2. #45 Vince Ng (OSU) def. Robert Kotroczo (D) 7-6 6-4
3. #7 Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) def. Will Wang (D) 6-0 6-0
4. Kevin McLean (OSU) def. Eric Huffman (D) 6-4 6-0
5. Brenton Contini (OSU) def. Sam Davidson (D) 6-4 6-2
6. Scott Green (OSU) def. Michael Fessler (D) 6-0 6-2
Doubles:
1. Conor Casey Dennis Mertens (OSU) def. Sam Davidson Robert Kotroczo (D) 8-3
2. Scott Green Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) def. Eric Huffman Andy Michael (D) 8-2
3. Brenton Contini Vince Ng (OSU) def. Michael Fessler Will Wang (D) 8-1
#24 OSU defeats West Virginia 7-0
Singles:
1. Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) def. Eric Kochanski (WV) 6-3 6-0
2. Vince Ng (OSU) def. Tony Epkey (WV) 6-1 6-3
3. Conor Casey (OSU) def. J.R. Randall (WV) 6-2 6-1
4. Ben Kirksey (OSU) def. Ian Bliss (WV) 3-6 6-0 1-0 (11-9)
5. Brenton Contini (OSU) def. Julian Mesa (WV) 6-4 6-4
6. Scott Green (OSU) def. Kyle Markham (WV) 6-1 6-1
Doubles:
1. Conor Casey Dennis Mertens (OSU) def. Tony Epkey (WV) 8-6
2. Scott Green Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) def. Ian Bliss Chris Green (WV) 8-4
3. Brenton Contini Vince Ng (OSU) def. Kyle Markham J.R. Randall (WV) 8-4
OSU is now 4-0 against Depaul and 13-5 against West Virginia.
1/26/03
#24 OSU Men's Tennis Team defeats #27 Notre Dame
While several inches of snow fell in Columbus today making driving hazardous. The OSU men's tennis team made playing tennis hazardous for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Buckeyes swept the three doubles courts to collect the first point of the match.
Vince Ng summed it up, "Once we got the doubles point, it was key because we had always lost it (the doubles point) in the past. If you lose that point it kind of sets the tone of the match--winning it gives you some momentum." Conor Casey and Ross Wilson teamed at first doubles and won their pro set 8-3. At second doubles, Scott Green and Jeremy Wurtzman won 8-6. The third doubles had Brenton Contini and Vince Ng sweeping 8-2. Vince followed the doubles with a 7-6, 6-0 win at first singles. "The first set, we were on serve, winning the tie-break was crucial. From there on, he (Luis Haddock) started to make errors." At second singles, Jeremy Wurtzman started slow but defeated Matthew Scott 7-5, 6-3. Jeremy admitted, "We were all fired up to play Notre Dame." He continued that the team had had "a really good week of practice and we were focused on taking care of business." Jeremy admitted that he had gotten off to a slow start but he credited the aggressive play by Scott for part of that. Just two weeks in from Braaschaat, Belgium, OSU's Dennis Mertens lost at third singles 3-6, 2-6. ND's Brent D'Amico kept him off balance with an unusual two-handed forehand and backhand groundstroke game. Mertens tried to get him off the baseline with a number of drop shots. In the end, D'Amico was just too steady. Freshman Ross Wilson won his match handily at number four singles. Brian Farrell was unable to handle Wilson's aggressive shots and lost 6-1, 6-2. Conor Casey won the fifth singles 6-4,6-4. As the score indicates, ND's Eric Langenkamp played Casey close; he even had Conor down in the first set, but Conor was able to fight back and win. Number 6 singles was won by OSU's Kevin McLean. Patrick Buchanan, for the Fighting Irish, seemed to have the match in control, winning the first set 6-4. McLean kept banging away with a huge serve that sounded like his racquet was exploding and won the second set 6-4. The match ended when McLean won the super tie-break 11-9; this was played in place of a third set.
Coach Tucker said, "Anytime Notre Dame comes in, it doesn't matter if it's tiddledywinks or air hockey, you know Notre Dame is coming to play." He added that the Bucks had won without maybe their best player, Phil Metz, who is out of the lineup with a back injury. Tucker praised Vince Ng calling him "the most improved tennis player in the country." He stressed how confident he was in his team because they had "dotted the i's and crossed the t's in practice."
How big was the win? Wurtzman said it all, "We hadn't beaten these guys in something like 14 years--everyone stepped up, taking care of business." Last year, a 6-1 loss at South Bend; this year, a 6-1 victory for the Buckeyes.