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

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My response in bold.
He's a tennis official in SoCal so he's seen both USC (he's an alum) and UCLA each a couple of times this yr.

Says the big difference between USC and UCLA is that USC doesn't have a legit #1 player and UCLA has two.
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Not sure exactly what makes a legitimate #1 player but...
USC's #2 player Ray Sarmiento is ITA ranked #16 and was 2-2 against UCLA's #1 Denis Novikov, ITA ranked #25.
USC's #1 Gomez is ITA ranked #7 in the NCAA and was 1-2 against UCLA's #2 Marcos Giron who is ranked #27.

OSU absolutely must win the doubles point and probably can.
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I agree, like vs. USC the dubs point is critical, will be a huge challenge for Bucks to get 4 single's wins.

He really likes UCLA's strength at #5 and #6 singles
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Agreed and it appears that teams are getting Diaz figured out and Bucks #6 seems to be a concern. Wonder if Ty would consider putting Van Engelen back in the lineup here.

so OSU MUST Win at #3 and #4. McCarthy is playing really well and Smith is a 5th yr SR so OSU has a shot there.
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Would love to have both 3 and 4 or either of 3 or 4 but I don't think its a necessity to win both 3 and 4. UCLA's #3 Puget is very strong, and #4 Mkrtchian will be no easy task for McCarthy.

OSU's Rola lost to UCLA's #2 Giron earlier in the spring at a USTA Futures tourney at Calabasas. This was in conjunction w/OSU's road trip to Pepperdine. In any case, Giron will probably play at #2 vs. Kobelt. Kobelt will probably have the biggest serve on either team but is too inconsistent.
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Not sure what it means to be too inconsistent, but I think Kobelt is playing extremely well and the court surface at Champaign is a server's paradise.
Rola's 6-1, 6-0 performance vs. Gomez of USC has a lot of people's attention. Gomez is the 6 seed in the NCAA single's draw, turning pro after this year, and could only hold serve once vs. Blaz.

Rola will play UCLA's Navikov. (sic) The guy is good. He won a first round match in the U.S. Open last year. Li'l Shark says he VERY talented but immature and out of shape. If Rola can get him to a 3rd set he's got a chance.
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Interesting comment re. Novikov's fitness, he has had some pretty bad losses this year, with his 17-10 record.
Rola is 25-1 and can go the distance, gets stronger when others get fatigued, and built for the long haul.

So, may plan for OSU is 1) Win the doubles pt; 2) McCarthy; 3) Smith; 4) Prayer.
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I would predict OSU also gets the Double's point
and in strongest to least likely order of probability for single's wins...
#1 Rola
#4 McCarthy
#2 Kobelt
#5 Diaz
#6 Van Engelen/Christ/ Callahan
#3 Smith

:oh:
 
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Great write up. I was thinking the same thing about putting Van Engelen at #6. He played #4 last year, so he would seem to be a solid #6 at this point.

However we line up, let's get it done today!! Go Bucks!

On a side note, does anyone know why Van Engelen is done after this year even though he has a year of eligibility left?
 
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Thanks for that post Gracelhink, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

This thread is what sparked my interest in OSU tennis...but I don't know much about the national scene and our competitors.. so your write up is REALLY appreciated. I feel informed heading into today's match!
 
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Looks like Coach Tucker is playing Van Engelen at #6.
Maybe Ilie can pull an upset.
We need 4 single's points, big challenge now.
Woed on the street is that the NCAA has changed their eligibility standards for Student Athletes entering college over 20 years of age.
Ilie's age disqualifies him from a full 4 year eligibility
 
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