Saturday, 04/14/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s tennis team fell to No. 23 Illinois, 4-3, on the road in Champaign, Ill., Friday evening. The loss snaps the No. 61-ranked Buckeyes’ three-match winning streak.

Ohio State travels up the state to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern at noon ET Sunday.

The Buckeyes (8-13, 3-5 Big Ten) were victorious in three singles contests, but were unable to earn a fourth to upset the Illini (14-6, 6-2 Big Ten) who opened the match by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead.

Illinois claimed the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. The Buckeyes’ No. 2 doubles team of Kara Cecil and Kelsey Dieters rallied back from a 7-4 deficit against Rachael White and Amy Allin to tie the match at 7-apiece. After the teams exchanged games, the Buckeyes claimed the tiebreaker, 7-5, to take the match.

Sophomore Tiffany Dittmer tied the match at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-1 win on court six, but the Illini responded by taking decisions on courts one and four before Buckeye junior Gabby Steele moved the score to 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Illinois’ White on court five.

The Illini’s Melissa Kopinski clinched her team’s win with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Cecil on court two. Junior Fidan Manashirova rallied from a first-set loss to take down Lambropoulos, 2-6, 7-6, 1-0, on court three to earn the Buckeyes’ third singles win of the match.

No. 23 Illinois 4, No. 61 Ohio State 3
April 16, 2012 - Champaign, Ill.

Singles

#1 –  #119 Allison Falkin (ILL) def. Kelsey Haviland (OSU), 7-5, 6-1
#2 – Melissa Kopinski (ILL) def. Kara Cecil (OSU), 7-6, 6-2
#3 – Fidan Manashirova (OSU) def. Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL), 2-6, 7-6, 1-0
#4 – Amy Allin (ILL) def. Kelsey Dieters (OSU), 6-3, 6-4
#5 – Gabby Steele (OSU) def. Rachael White (ILL), 6-3, 6-3
#6 – Tiffany Dittmer (OSU) def. Misia Kedzierski (ILL), 7-5, 6-1

Doubles

#1 – #57 Kopinski/Lambropoulos (ILL) def. Haviland/Steele (OSU), 8-5
#2 – Cecil/Dieters (OSU) def. White/Allin (ILL), 9-8 (5)
#3 – Falkin/Checlie Abajian (ILL) def. Manashirova/Kelsey Becker (OSU), 8-3

Order of Finish: Singles (6, 1, 4, 5, 2, 3); Doubles (3, 1, 2)