COLUMBUS, Ohio - After a slight rain delay, the fourth-ranked Ohio State men's tennis team (32-2) defeated No. 30 Notre Dame (18-12), 4-0, in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship Saturday at Stickney Tennis Center and the VTC in Columbus, Ohio. The victory marks the sixth-consecutive year the Scarlet and Gray have advanced to the Round of 16.
The Buckeyes will now travel to Stanford, Calif., and will face the winner of Texas and Tulsa at 6 p.m. ET May 19 at the Taube Tennis Center. The University of Stanford will serve as hosts for the remaining 16 teams in the tournament.
Senior co-captain Matt Allare clinched the Buckeye victory with a 6-2, 6-3 win vs. Greg Andrews. Allare will carry a 23-match win streak to Stanford with an overall record of 35-3. The Mason, Ohio, native is also an undefeated 19-0 at the No. 4 position.
Ohio State has won 128-consecutive home contests, dating back to the 2002-03 campaign and will finish 18-0 in Columbus.
In doubles, the Buckeyes won with an 8-2 decision on both courts two and three. Two-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year Chase Buchanan and senior co-captain Shuhei Uzawa defeated the Irish's Casey Watt and Stephen Havens on court two, while Blaz Rola and Balazs Novak claimed the doubles point by beating Andrews and Daniel Stahl.
Buchanan and Uzawa move to 12-2 as a pair on the spring season, with all of their 14 matches occurring at the No. 2 position. Rola, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and fellow All-Big Ten honoree Novak, improve their impressive resume to 14-1 as a pair and will travel to Stanford with a nine-match win streak.
Novak gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 advantage with a straight-set 6-0, 6-2 win against Blaz Moros on court six, finishing his final match as a senior in Columbus with an ace. The Budapest, Hungary, native improved to 27-7 overall, including a 23-4 mark during spring competition and 5-1 ledger at the No. 6 position.
Rola defeated Watt 6-2, 6-2 on court one to add to his team-high in wins. Rola, the nation's fifth-ranked player, moved to 37-5 overall with marks of 23-4 in dual play and 9-2 at the No. 1 position.
Tennis Match Results
#4 Ohio State 4, #30 Notre Dame 0
May 14, 2011 at Columbus, Ohio
(Stickney Tennis Center/VTC)
Singles
1. #4 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #63 Casey Watt (NOTREDAM) 6-2, 6-2
2. #10 Chase Buchanan (OSU) vs. Stephen Havens (NOTREDAM) 5-7, 1-1, unfinished
3. #107 Ille Van Engelen (OSU) vs. #95 Daniel Stahl (NOTREDAM) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
4. #50 Matt Allare (OSU) def. Greg Andrews (NOTREDAM) 6-2, 6-3
5. #65 Devin McCarthy (OSU) vs. Samuel Keeton (NOTREDAM) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
6. #111 Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Blas Moros (NOTREDAM) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1. #21 Matt Allare/Peter Kobelt (OSU) vs. #82 Niall Fitzgerald/Spencer Talmadge (NOTREDAM) 5-3, unfinished
2. #81 Chase Buchanan/Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) def. Casey Watt/Stephen Havens (NOTREDAM) 8-2
3. Blaz Rola/Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Greg Andrews/Daniel Stahl (NOTREDAM) 8-2
Match Notes:
Notre Dame 18-12; National ranking #30
Ohio State 32-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,1,4)
Official: Vince Solomon T-259 A-3
