Around The Oval: Ohio State Men’s and Women’s Tennis Punch Tickets to ITA Indoor Championship, Women’s Hockey Sweeps St. Cloud State

By Chase Brown on January 29, 2024 at 1:05 pm
Men's Tennis
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Another week, another Around The Oval.

In this week's edition of ATO, Eleven Warriors' one-stop shop for coverage of the Buckeyes' Olympic sports programs, we'll look at a great weekend for Ohio State men's tennis, women's tennis and women's hockey.

Over the weekend, we also covered Ohio State wrestling's come-from-behind win over Michigan and recapped women's basketball's road victories over Illinois and Purdue after the latest release of the AP Poll.

Let's take a stroll around The Oval, Ohio State’s 11-acre lawn at the heart of campus.

Men's Tennis

Ohio State men's tennis, the No. 1 team in the ITA Poll, performed like the best program in America at the ITA Kickoff Weekend.

After wins over Eastern Illinois, Xavier, Northern Kentucky and Toledo over the past two weeks, Ohio State hosted Vanderbilt and Boise State at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Buckeyes shut out the Commodores and the Broncos, 4-0, and qualified for their 15th appearance at the ITA Indoor National Championship.

Vanderbilt

Singles
  1. Cannon Kingsley def. Danil Panarin (VU) 6-3, 6-2 
  2. Justin Boulais def. Joubert Klopper (VU) 6-2, 6-3 
  3. No. 4 JJ Tracy def. Juan Lopez (VU) 6-0, 6-1 
  4. No. 11 Jack Anthrop def. Nathan Cox (VU) 7-5, 4-2
  5. No. 103 Alexander Bernard vs. Jeremie Casabon (VU) 6-2, 3-2, unfinished 
  6. Robert Cash vs. Hugo Coquelin (VU) 6-4, 3-4, unfinished 
Doubles
  1. Justin Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig def. No. 59 Nathan Cox and Jeremie Casabon (VU) 6-0 
  2. Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy vs. Joubert Klopper/Danil Panarin (VU) 5-2, unfinished 
  3. No. 27 Robert Cash and Bryce Nakashima def. Zach White and Jon Karlstad (VU) 6-2 

Boise State

Singles
  1. Cannon Kingsley vs. No. 40 Sam Sippel (BSU) 6-2, 1-3, unfinished
  2. Justin Boulais vs. Jip Van Assendelft (BSU) 6-2, 6-1
  3. No. 4 JJ Tracy vs. Jan Lucca Marquardt (BSU) 6-7 (5-7), unfinished 
  4. No. 11 Jack Anthrop vs. Jett Middleton (BSU) 6-0, 4-2, unfinished 
  5. No. 103 Alexander Bernard def. Idriss Haddouch (BSU) 6-2, 6-0 
  6. Preston Stearns vs. Liam Toroman (BSU) 6-1, 6-2 
Doubles 
  1. Justin Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig def. Jip Van Assendelft and Sam Sippel (BSU) 6-1 
  2. Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy vs. Caden Moortgat and Jan Lucca Marquardt (BSU) 5-4, unfinished 
  3. No. 27 Robert Cash and Bryce Nakashima def. Jett Middleton and Idriss Haddouch (BSU) 6-4

In Ohio State's previous 14 appearances at the ITA Indoor National Championship, it won the title in 2014 and 2019. The Buckeyes will look to win their third championship at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19.

Before Ohio State heads to the Big Apple, however, the Buckeyes have several tests on their schedule: No. 3 Virginia (Friday), No. 17 Wake Forest (Sunday) and No. 2 South Carolina (Feb. 11). Ohio State will host all of those matches at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

Women's Tennis

Ohio State women's tennis, the No. 13 team in the ITA Poll, also had success at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, as the Buckeyes blanked both Notre Dame and Arizona State, 4-0, at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Friday and Saturday.

With the victories, Ohio State advances to the ITA Indoor National Championship for the sixth consecutive season.

Notre Dame

Singles
  1. No. 15 Irina Cantos Siemers def. Page Freeman (ND) 6-4, 6-0
  2. No. 85 Luciana Perry vs. Julia Andreach (ND) 7-5, 4-0, unfinished
  3. Sydni Ratliff def. Yashna Yellayi (ND) 6-3, 6-0
  4. Teah Chavez vs. Bojana Pozder (ND) 6-4, 2-3, unfinished
  5. Shelly Bereznyak def. Akari Matsuno (ND) 6-3, 6-2
  6. Audrey Spencer vs. Nibi Ghosh (ND) 6-7 (4-7), unfinished
Doubles
  1. Sydni Ratliff and Luciana Perry def. Carrie Beckman and Page Freeman (ND) 7-5
  2. Irina Cantos Siemers and Audrey Spencer vs. Julia Andreach and Yashna Yellayi (ND) 5-6, unfinished
  3. Madeline Atway and Teah Chavez def. Bojana Pozder and Akari Matsuno (ND) 6-2

Arizona State

Singles
  1. No. 15 Irina Cantos Siemers def. No. 61 Giulia Morlet (ASU) 6-4, 6-0
  2. No. 85 Luciana Perry vs. Chelsea Fontenel (ASU) 7-5, 4-0, unfinished
  3. Sydni Ratliff vs. No. 68 Marianna Argyrokastr (ASU) 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
  4. Shelly Bereznyak vs. Emilija Tverijonaite (ASU) 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
  5. Teah Chavez def. Patricija Spaka (ASU) 6-4, 6-3
  6. Audrey Spencer def. Ada Piestrzynska (ASU) 6-1, 6-1 
Doubles
  1. Sydni Ratliff and Luciana Perry (OSU) def. Patricija Spaka and Chelsea Fontenel (ASU) 6-4
  2. Irina Cantos Siemers and Audrey Spencer def. Giulia Morlet and Ada Piestrzynska (ASU) 6-4
  3. Teah Chavez and Madeline Atway vs. Marianna Argyrokastr and Emilija Tverijonaite (ASU) 4-4, unfinished

After Ohio State's wins, head coach Melissa Shaub said she was proud of her team's performances at the ITA Kickoff Weekend.

"I'm really happy for the team. This was something we talked about a lot and marked on the calendar," Schaub said. "We knew this is a big weekend for us, so to see them out there competing the way they did is awesome."

Before Ohio State heads to Seattle, Washington, and competes at the ITA Indoor National Championship at the University of Washington, the Buckeyes will host No. 15 Duke (Friday) and No. 12 UCLA (Sunday) at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

"We couldn't be more excited to be back on our home courts again," Schaub said.

Women's Hockey

Ohio State women's hockey, the No. 1 team in the USCHO Coaches Poll, swept St. Cloud State over the weekend. The Buckeyes defeated the Huskies 4-2 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Game 1

Cayla Barnes scored 47 seconds into the contest and put Ohio State up 1-0. Sloane Matthews (12:15) and Jenna Buglioni (4:32) also found the back of the net in the first period, and the Buckeyes went to the locker room with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

While neither team scored in the second frame, St. Cloud State collected its first goal 22 seconds into the third. Makenna Webster — a field hockey and ice hockey star for the Buckeyes — restored Ohio State's three-goal lead at the 14:10 mark. As the clock approached 0:00, a Huskies' power play resulted in the team's second score, but the Buckeyes held on for a 4-2 win.

Game 2

St. Cloud State was first on the board after a defensive-zone turnover from Ohio State. The Buckeyes scored an equalizer with 2:08 left in the opening frame. Kiara Zanon forced a turnover in the slot, and Buglioni settled the puck. She then dished it back to Zanon, who scored a five-hole goal on the Huskies' goaltender.

After Webster gave Ohio State the lead 63 seconds into the second period, neither team scored for the remainder of the frame. In the third, the Buckeyes extended their lead when Joy Dunne one-time a pass from Zanon at the top of the crease. St. Cloud State would score their second goal with an extra skater on the ice, and the Huskies' net remained vacant for the rest of the game. The Buckeyes held them off to take a 3-2 win.

Other Results

  • After Ohio State men's volleyball took the No. 1 spot in the AVCA Poll, the Buckeyes' suffered back-to-back losses to No. 9 Penn State in Columbus and University Park, Pennsylvania. Ohio State's home matchup with Penn State set an attendance record for the program at the Covelli Center, as 2,238 were in attendance for the contest on Thursday.
  • Ohio State men's hockey also suffered back-to-back losses to Penn State, as the Buckeyes fell 4-3 in both games in University Park. Ohio State is now 9-13-4 overall in 2023-24 and has a 1-13-2 record in Big Ten competition.
  • Ohio State swim and dive competed at the Tim Welsh Classic in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday. The No. 6 Buckeye women were the winners of the four-team meet with 1,635 total points, outscoring second-place Akron by 813 points. The No. 14 men (1,563) placed second behind No. 12 Notre Dame (1,721).
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