Monday, 04/23/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State will serve as host of the 2012 Big Ten Women’s Tennis Tournament this week. All matches will be played at the new Ohio State University Varsity Outdoor Tennis Courts and admission is FREE throughout the tournament.

Tournament play begins Thursday with first-round matchups, including Ohio State taking on Penn State at 10 a.m. The quarterfinals will be Friday, with semifinals Saturday and the championship match Sunday. The tournament champion will earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA championship field.

A complete schedule, including links for live stats for all matches, can be accessed from the tournament central website: http://go.osu.edu/2012WTENBTT.

Northwestern earns top seed following 10-1 conference season

The seedings and matchups for the 2012 Big Ten Women’s Tennis Tournament were announced on Sunday following the conclusion of the conference’s regular-season schedule. Northwestern receives the tournament’s No. 1 seed by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker with Michigan. The Wildcats compiled a 10-1 conference record and 16-7 overall mark en route to the program’s 14th Big Ten crown.

Michigan earns the No. 2 seed in the tournament after closing the regular season at 10-1 in Big Ten play and 17-6 overall. Illinois (17-6 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) enters the event as the No. 3 seed after earning the head-to-head tiebreaker over fourth-seeded Nebraska (23-3, 9-2). The top four seeds in the tournament receive first-round byes and begin competition on Friday.

Purdue (14-6, 6-5) holds the No. 5 seed and will battle No. 12 Michigan State (8-14, 0-11) in the first round, with the winner advancing to face the fourth-seeded Huskers. Indiana, Ohio State and Penn finished at 4-7 in conference play, creating a three-way tie for the seventh seed. By virtue of a 2-0 record against the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers claim the No. 7 seed in the tournament, while Penn State earns the eighth seed based on head-to-head results against Ohio State. The Hoosiers (15-10, 4-7) will take on No. 10 Wisconsin (12-11, 3-8) in the first round, with the second-seeded Wolverines awaiting the winner in the quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions (12-10, 4-7) will face off against No. 9 Ohio State (9-15, 4-7), and the winner will meet the top-seeded Wildcats in Round 2.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, with first-round matches beginning at 10 a.m. ET at Ohio State’s Varsity Tennis Center. Friday will feature quarterfinal matches beginning at 10 a.m., while Saturday will showcase the tournament semifinals starting at 10 a.m. Sunday’s championship match is scheduled for Noon ET

BTN will air the championship match on tape delay on Wednesday, May 9 at 6 p.m. ET.

###