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Ohio State Men's Tennis (2014/2019/2024 ITA Indoor National Champs, 17 Straight B1G Titles)

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The official Buckeyes tennis site has this recap of the win over PSU on Saturday.

Link

No. 7 Ohio State Opens Big Ten Play with 7-0 Win at Penn State
Buckeyes 1-0 in Big Ten
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With 7-0 victory over Penn State, Ohio State earns first B1G victory of the season
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March 2, 2013
Results
The seventh-ranked Ohio State men?s tennis team beat Penn State, 7-0, Saturday afternoon at the Indoor Tennis Center in University Park, Pa. With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 14-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten, while Penn State drops to 5-7 (0-1 Big Ten).
No. 17 Blaz Rola clinched the victory for the Scarlet and Gray at No. 2 singles. Rola needed three sets to defeat Tomas Hanzlik, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. Rola, a junior, improves to 10-0 on the season and 3-0 on court No. 2.
The two other victories needed to reach four points came from wins at Nos. 4 and 3 singles.
Ille Van Engelen surrendered just two points en route to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Roman Trkulja on court four. In third singles Devin McCarthy was a 7-5, 6-4 winner vs. Russell Bader.
Another Doubles Point
With wins on all three courts, the Buckeyes captured the doubles point for the 14th time this season. The first Buckeye victory came from Rola and Kevin Metka when they finished at No. 3 doubles with an 8-0 shutout against Hanzlik and Trkulja. Rola and Metka have now won eight consecutive matches, all on court three. Next, the No. 16 ranked pair of Peter Kobelt and Connor Smith finished their match on court No. 1 with an 8-3 win over Bader and Guanhua Chen. Last, but not least, the 12th-ranked duo of McCarthy and Van Engelen defeated C.J. Griffin and Bryan Welnetz 8-3 on court No. 2.
Singles Synopsis
After securing the doubles point, the Buckeyes needed just three singles wins to clinch the victory over Penn State. The first of those three victories came from Van Engelen, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Trkulja. Next, McCarthy won 7-5, 6-4 vs. Bader and shortly after Rola clinched the victory with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 defeat of Hanzlik.
Three Buckeyes played out their matches and won after the fourth point was clinched. Hunter Callahanwon 6-4, 6-3 vs. Chris Young at No. 4 singles. The second ranked player in the country, Kobelt outlasted Welnetz 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 on court one. Finally in sixth singles, Constantin Christ defeated C.J. Griffin 6-2, 6-3.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will play their third-consecutive road match as they head to Malibu, Calif., to take on No. 12 Pepperdine at 4 p.m. March 12. The last time the Buckeyes and Waves squared-off was in the ITA Team Indoor Championships, a match in which Ohio State came away with a 4-0 victory....
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Coach Tucker has said that when you play at your opponent's facility, you need to be 10% better than your opponent.
That was true Saturday as the Bucks traveled to Happy Valley indoor facility and met a team accustomed to the surface, lighting and environment.
Buckeyes dropped a number of points, games and sets that would not normally happen on a neutral court, but they prevailed in a sweep of PSU.

The team has 10 days off before they tangle again with a strong Pepperdine team. When the ITA tournament was played in Feb. Waves were ranked #5, but did not fare as well at the indoor venue.
College Tennis is becoming noted for its "indoor" and "outdoor" teams. Schools like UVa, UK, Duke and tOSU, are the better indoor teams.
Southern schools and Pac 10, i.e. the balance of the top 25, are better playing on outdoor surfaces, where they can practice/compete almost year round.

It may take some time and patience for Buckeye squad to acclimate performace levels in switching to the outdoor season. Struggles like at Texas A&M, are normative. Strategically this west coast trip will offer the team a great "Spring break", lots of outdoor practice experience and one highly competitive match.
 
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Gracel,
"Indoor" and "Outdoor" - why wouldn't they be the same composite surface (excluding the obvious grass and clay surfaces)? After you've cleared the fog from my eyes, riddle me the difference, please. Is it the heighth of the 'bounce' of the ball? or ?

Truly thought the outdoor surface and indoor surface were same thing. Which is why indoor and outdoor 'teams' relied more on judging the wind.....

Thanks in advance,

:gobucks3::gobucks4::banger:
 
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calibuck;2311055; said:
Gracel,
"Indoor" and "Outdoor" - why wouldn't they be the same composite surface (excluding the obvious grass and clay surfaces)? After you've cleared the fog from my eyes, riddle me the difference, please. Is it the heighth of the 'bounce' of the ball? or ?

Truly thought the outdoor surface and indoor surface were same thing. Which is why indoor and outdoor 'teams' relied more on judging the wind.....

Thanks in advance,

:gobucks3::gobucks4::banger:
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Good question Cali,
In looking at the match at Texas A & M, the Buckeyes were at a disadvantage, as they probably will be vs. Pepperdine, Of the Bucks only Rola played well vs. Aggy, and that may be attributed to the ITF/USTA tournaments he played outdoors in FL and the south.
From my experience, when I start playing outdoors in the Spring, after the winter indoor season, the difference is quite noticeable, (or at least that's been my excuse--I blame my troubles on adjusting to the outdoor conditions rather than confessing the obvious diminishing skills) :wink:
From experience it feels like the balls travels faster indoors. Not sure they really do but the illusion of quicker play is commonly voiced among players.
Sometimes the indoor surfaces are quicker, slicker, less grainy surface materials but indoors it seems like the ball has more pace, reaction times are diminished, the elements--wind, sun, shadows and glare--don't impact play, but often visibility is not as bright as outdoors, shadows also can negatively effect reaction time, so the Advantage indoors is to big servers, aggressive hitters, disadvantage to "grinders."
As you noted re. wind, but also better visibility can be a major factor for outdoor play.
So in my humble opinion only, when "indoor teams" move outdoors, logging outdoor court time seems to be a priority for peak performance.


Anyone else have this experience, or different thoughts?
 
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The Lantern had this article on the OSU men's tennis NCAA record 160 home match win streak. Approaching 10 years since they were defeated at home, 4/5/03.

Lantern



Don't jinx it: "Intimidating" home win streak serving Ohio State men's tennis well

ByMark Batke [email protected]

Published: Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Lantern file photo
Members of the OSU men?s tennis team huddle up before a match against East Tennessee State May 12. OSU won, 4-0.

The last time the Ohio State men?s tennis team lost a home match, President George W. Bush was serving his first term in office, the average gas price per gallon in Ohio was $1.49 and Mark Zuckerberg was more than six months away from first imagining Facebook in his Harvard dorm room.
The No. 8 Buckeyes (14-2 overall, 1-0 conference) are currently in the midst of a 160-game home win streak, the longest ever recorded in any of the active NCAA Division 1-A sports.
The win streak dates back to April 5, 2003, when the Scarlet and Gray dropped a 5-2 home match against conference rival Illinois. Since then, the Buckeyes have emerged victorious against every team to visit Columbus.
This season, with only four home matches before the team?s historic win streak reaches its 10-year anniversary, players and coaches said they are hoping to get to celebrate the milestone.
?Obviously you want to get to 10 years (without a home loss) because you?re close. When I?m done coaching and the players are done playing, it?s something in your bag of tricks that lots of people don?t have,? said coach Ty Tucker, who has led the Buckeyes since the 1999 season. ...
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College Spring Break in Southern California is not all about sun, sand, surf and sex, err days at the ocean.
The Buckeye men's tennis team is using the sunshine and seasonal temperatures to prepare for the outdoor season.
Acclimation and transition from the confines of the Varsity Tennis Center to an outdoor venue is a major step for successful northern schools.
Take for example,
Yesterday #38 Baylor had #1 Virginia almost beaten outdoors until UVA (a northern indoor team) discovered some extra incentive to pull out 5 straight 3rd set wins to come back from what appeared to be a shocker.
The Buckeyes will face a challenge to adjust to the climate and win again over the Pepperdine team they defeated indoors at the ITA in February.

This preview of today's match is found on the official site.

No. 8 Buckeyes Face No. 12 Pepperdine Tuesday in Malibu
Buckeyes, Wave meet for second time in three weeks
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Junior Blaz Rola is 10-0 overall with a 7-0 record at No. 1 singles and 3-0 mark at the No. 2 position.
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March 11, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio? The No. 8 Ohio State men?s tennis team will face No. 12 Pepperdine for a 4 p.m. ET match up Tuesday at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The Buckeyes (14-2; 1-0 Big Ten) and Waves (10-3 overall) will meet for the second time in three weeks. Ohio State shut out Pepperdine, 4-0, in the quarterfinals of the ITA Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Wash., Feb. 16.
In a Nutshell
Ohio State is 14-2 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes are 10-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus.
The Buckeyes improved to 328-44 (.882) as a Top 25 team since 2001. Ohio State moves to 108-49 (.688) vs. Top 25 programs since 2000.
Following their wins vs. No. 25 Notre Dame Feb. 23 and LSU Feb. 24, the Scarlet and Gray extended their home win streak to 160 matches. The Buckeyes? last loss at home was a 5-2 setback vs. Illinois April 5, 2003.
In the early portion of the Big Ten season, Ohio State is in second place with a 1-0 conference record and overall mark of 14-2. Illinois, who has played two conference matches and is 2-0, leads the league with an overall record of 7-4.
Redshirt junior Peter Kobelt leads the Buckeyes in singles wins with 24. With a 24-5 overall record that includes a 10-2 mark in the dual play, Kobelt is 4-1 and 6-1 at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
Junior Blaz Rola is 10-0 overall with a 7-0 record at No. 1 singles and 3-0 mark at the No. 2 position.
The Buckeyes are earning impressive victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles from Hunter Callahan and Constantin Christ. Callahan, a redshirt sophomore, is 5-0 at No. 5 singles freshman Christ is 7-0 on court No. 6.
In doubles action, the duo of Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen are a team-best 12-1 overall. The tandem has posted an 8-1 record at No. 2 doubles and a 4-0 mark at the top position.
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Metka has posted an Ohio State best 17-1 overall record in doubles, which includes a 14-0 ledger in dual play. Metka is 13-0 at No. 3 doubles....
A Peek at Pepperdine
The Waves are 10-3 overall, including a 2-3 mark vs. nationally-ranked competition. With a 3-1 road record, Pepperdine is even tougher to beat on its home courts as it has compiled a 5-0 record in Malibu. Four Pepperdine student-athletes, led by No. 7 Sebastian Fanselow, are ranked in the singles ITA standings. Fanselow is 14-5 overall, including a dual record of 8-3, which also serves as his mark at No. 1 singles. In the doubles rankings, the Waves are led by No. 27 Francis Alcantara and Finn Tearney. The pair is 12-4 overall and 6-3 in dual and No. 1 doubles action....
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The ITA will release their weekly team rankings today, IMHO the Buckeyes are ranked too low at #8.
OSU should be in the top 4, but the loss at Texas A&M hurts their computer rank.
ITA will also release the biweekly single's and double's rankings.
It should be interesting to see how Buckeyes are valued.
The Pepperdine site has livestats available so that fans can monitor today's action.
http://www.pepperdinesports.com/livestats/m-tennis/xlive.htm
 
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Unusual doubles alignment for the Buckeyes:
#1 Conner Smith & Kevin Metka
#2 Blaz Rola & Ilie van Engelen
#3 Devin McCarthy & Hunter Callahan
or at least that is what is listed on the livestats.
update looks like Peperdine has #1 handily won
Buckeyes up 7-3 at #2,
with Buckeyes Trailing 5-3 in what will be the key #3 dubs match.
 
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Buckeye #3 doubles, down 5-7 pulls off 4 straight games, with 2 breaks to win 9-7 and claim the critical double's point for the good guys.
According to the livestats, it appears that Peter Kobelt is not in the lineup.
Hoping he is not injured, but it leaves a big gap in the lineup with #2 ITA ranked player absent.
 
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What happened here? Did Fanselow withdraw due to an injury?

#20 Blaz Rola, Ohio State....................6.......1
#11 Sebastian Fanselow, Pepperdine.....3.......0

Order of finish: 1

Match over; Ohio State gets 2nd point.
 
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