Ohio State University Team Page
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fifth-ranked Ohio State men’s tennis team will host Purdue at 6 p.m. Friday in the Varsity Tennis Center before playing Indiana at noon Sunday. Ohio State improved to 16-2 overall, including an 11-0 record at home, earlier in the week with a 6-1 win over Louisville Tuesday.
Purdue Points
Purdue enters the match Friday with a 13-3 overall record, including a 9-1 mark at home and 3-2 and 1-0 ledgers on the road and neutral sites, respectively. The Buckeyes are 56-16 (.777) all-time vs. the Boilermakers, including a 13-0 record under head coach Ty Tucker.
Indiana Insights
Indiana owns an 8-8 record with a 6-2 mark in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are 1-4 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. In the all-time series between the Buckeyes and Hoosiers, Ohio State has a two-match advantage, 43-41. However, Ty Tucker coached teams are 13-1, with the lone loss coming during the 1999-2000 season, a 5-2 setback in Columbus.
In a Nutshell
- Ohio State is 16-2 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes are 11-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus.
- The Buckeyes improved to 330-44 (.882) since 2001 as a Top 25 team. Ohio State is 109-49 (.690) since 2000 vs. Top 25 programs.
- In 2013, Ohio State is 6-2 vs. Top 25 programs. The Buckeyes’ only losses were at No. 15 Texas A&M, Feb. 10 and vs. No. 1 Virginia in the semifinal of the ITA Team Indoor Championship Feb. 17.
- Following their win vs. Louisville, the Scarlet and Gray extended their home win streak to 161 matches. The Buckeyes’ last loss at home was a 5-2 setback vs. Illinois April 5, 2003.
- In the early portion of the Big Ten season, Ohio State is in second place with a 1-0 conference record and overall mark of 16-2. Illinois, who has played two conference matches and is 2-0, leads the league with an overall record of 7-5.
- Redshirt junior Peter Kobelt leads the Buckeyes in singles wins with 24. With a 24-5 overall record that includes a 10-2 mark in dual play, Kobelt is 4-1 and 6-1 at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
- Junior Blaz Rola is 12-0 overall with a 9-0 record at No. 1 singles and 3-0 mark at the No. 2 position.
-The Buckeyes are earning impressive victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles from Hunter Callahan and Constantin Christ. Callahan, a redshirt sophomore, is 5-0 at No. 5 singles. Freshman Christ is 8-0 on court No. 6.
- In doubles action, the duo of Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen are a team-best 13-1 overall. The tandem has posted a 9-1 record at No. 2 doubles and a 4-0 mark at the top position.
- Redshirt sophomore Kevin Metka has posted an Ohio State best 18-2 overall record in doubles, which includes a 15-1 ledger in dual play. Metka is 14-0 at No. 3 doubles.
Athlete of the Week
Devin McCarthy earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors for the week of March 12-19. McCarthy joined teammates Blaz Rola and Peter Kobelt as one of three Buckeye recipients this season. On the week, McCarthy defeated then-No. 12 Pepperdine’s 53rd-ranked Francis Alcantara, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. McCarthy also teamed up with Hunter Callahan to defeat Mousheg Hovhannisyan and David Sofaer, 9-7, to clinch the doubles point for Ohio State.
In the Rankings
A quartet of Buckeyes is ranked in the Top 45 of the ITA individual standings released March 12. Peter Kobelt paces the Buckeyes with a No. 3 ranking, while Blaz Rola is No. 20. Connor Smith is polled 37th and Chris Diaz is ranked 45th. Devin McCarthy is 124th.
In doubles, Kobelt and Smith hold down the No. 16th spot. The pair of McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen is No. 28 and Rola and Kevin Metka are ranked 51st.
Big Ten Tournament Hosts
Ohio State will host the 2013 Big Ten Tournament April 25-28 at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The Buckeyes have won the conference tournament eight times – 1991, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Road Warriors
After three consecutive matches at home, Ohio State will hit the road for three consecutive matches. The Buckeyes face two Big Ten opponents in Nebraska at 4 p.m. March 29 and Iowa at noon March 31. The Scarlet and Gray then will travel to Lexington, Ky., to face the Wildcats at 2 p.m. April 4.