Ohio State University Team Page
COLUMBUS, Ohio– Closing in on a decade of dominance in Columbus, Ohio, the No. 5 Ohio State men’s tennis team will seek its 164th, 165th and 166th-consecutive home wins vs. Wisconsin Friday and Minnesota and Wright State Sunday. The Buckeyes will host the Badgers at 5 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center on 880. W. Henderson Road. The matches vs. the Gophers and Raiders are scheduled for noon and 5:30 p.m. respectively, at the Varsity Tennis Courts on Olentangy River Road.
The current home win streak of 163 is the longest active among all Division I sports. The Florida women’s tennis team is second with a home win streak of 117. The Buckeyes’ impressive stretch began April 6, 2003 with a 5-2 victory vs. Purdue. Ohio State’s last loss in Columbus was a 5-2 setback vs. Illinois April 5, 2003.
Notable NCAA Win Streaks (*Denotes Active Streak)
Team Longest Home Win Streak Longest Win Streak Year(s)
Cael Sanderson (Iowa State Wrestling) 159 1998-2002
Miami Men’s Tennis 137 1957-1964
Kentucky Men’s Basketball 129 1943-1955
Florida Women’s Tennis 117* 2008-2013
Penn State Women’s Volleyball 109 2007-2010
UCONN Women’s Basketball 99 90 2008-2010
UCLA Men's Basketball 98 88 1971-1974
Stanford Women’s Tennis 89 2003-2007
Miami Football 58 1985-1994
Oklahoma Football 47 1953-1957
Maryland Women’s Lacrosse 43 2000-2002
Cornell Men’s Lacrosse 42 1976-1978
Texas Baseball 34 1977
FAU Baseball 34 1999
Notable Ohio State Home Win Streaks
Team Longest Home Win Streak Years
Fencing 147 Last Loss in 2002
Synchronized Swimming 68 1987-2008
Men's Basketball 50 1959-1964
Men's Volleyball 38 1976-78
Women's Basketball 31 2011-2013
Football 26 1972-1976
Women's Volleyball 24 1989-90
In 2003
• Ohio State Men's Tennis: 22-7 overall; 9-1 in the Big Ten; advanced to NCAA Round of 16
• Price of Gas: Week of April 7, 2003 was $1.67 (eia.gov)
• Most Popular Movies Released in 2003: Finding Nemo, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (IMDb.com)
• No. 1 on Year End 2003 Billboard Charts: Pop Album (50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin'); R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (In Da Club, 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin'); Country Songs (My Front Porch Looking In, Lonestar - 16 Biggest Hits); Country Albums (Up! Shania Twain) (billboard.com)
• 75th Academy Awards: Best Picture: Chicago (oscars.org)
• Most Popular TV Shows Released: Two and a Half Men, NCIS, Arrested Development, One Tree Hill, The O.C. (IMDb.com)
• TV Series Finales: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek (IMDb.com)
During the Streak Under the guidance of Ty Tucker, who was named head coach of the men’s tennis team in 1999, the Scarlet and Gray have qualified for the NCAA Team Championships each season, advancing as far as the national championship match in 2009 as well as the semifinals in 2011 and the quarterfinals in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
In addition to NCAA success, Ohio State has dominated the Big Ten Conference during the past 10 years, winning seven Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. During the run, the Buckeyes have captured seven consecutive regular-season league crowns (2006-12), while winning six consecutive tournament championships from 2006-2011. In all, Ohio State has amassed a 102-4 (.962) regular-season record vs. Big Ten opponents since the start of the 2003 season.
In a Nutshell
• Ohio State is 21-2 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes are 13-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus.
• The Buckeyes are 335-44 (.884) since 2001 as a Top 25 team and 110-49 (.690) since 2000 vs. Top 25 programs.
• Ohio State has shut out 14 of its opponents in 2013.
• Against Kentucky Wednesday, the Buckeyes earned their 22nd doubles victory.
• Ohio State leads the Big Ten with a 5-0 conference record and overall mark of 21-2.
• Redshirt junior Peter Kobelt leads the Buckeyes in singles wins with 27. With a 27-6 overall record that includes a 13-3 mark in dual play, Kobelt is 5-1 and 8-2 at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
• Junior Blaz Rola is 17-0 overall with a 13-0 record at No. 1 singles and 4-0 mark at the No. 2 position.
• The Buckeyes are earning impressive victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles from Chris Diaz and Constantin Christ. Diaz, a redshirt freshman, is 11-1 at No. 5 singles. True freshman Christ is 11-0 on court No. 6.
• In doubles action, the duo of Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen are a team-best 18-1 overall. The tandem has posted a 13-1 record at No. 2 doubles and a 5-0 mark at the top position. Blaz Rola and Kevin Metka remain perfect on the season with a 14-0 overall ledger. All 14 wins by Rola and Metka have come at No. 3 doubles.
• Redshirt sophomore Kevin Metka has posted an Ohio State best 22-2 overall record in doubles, which includes a 19-1 ledger in dual play. Metka is 18-0 at No. 3 doubles.
Watching Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 1-4 in B1G play and 10-7 overall. Ohio State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, which consists of 70 meetings between the programs, by eight matches at 39-31. Last season, the Buckeyes defeated the Badgers 7-0 in Columbus.
Matching Minnesota
Minnesota is currently in a tie with Michigan and Illinois for second in the B1G standings with a 4-1 record in conference play. Leading the way for the Golden Gophers is Rok Bonin, the No. 41 player in the ITA poll. The other ranked player for Minnesota is No. 100 Leandro Toledo. The all-time series between the Golden Gophers and Buckeyes has Ohio State down 36 to 28; however Ohio State is 10-0 vs. Minnesota since 2005.
About Wright State
The Raiders are 12-6 overall, but five of their six losses have come in road matches. Wright State sits atop the Horizon League standings with a 3-0 record in conference play. The Scarlet and Gray are a perfect 7-0 vs. the Raiders in the all-time series.
ITA Rankings
After spending two weeks ranked seventh in the nation, Ohio State moved up to No. 5 in the latest ITA team rankings released April 2.
Five Buckeyes are ranked in the Top 100 of the ITA individual standings released March 26. Peter Kobelt paces the Buckeyes with a No. 4 ranking, while Blaz Rola is No. 13. Connor Smith is polled 43rd and Chris Diaz is ranked 59th. Devin McCarthy rounds out the ranked group at No. 83.
In doubles, Kobelt and Smith moved up to 13th. The pair of McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen is No. 27 and Rola and Kevin Metka are ranked 57th.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will travel to Champaign, Ill., where they will face the Illinois at 4 p.m. April 12. Two days later, Ohio State will meet Northwestern for a 1 p.m. tilt April 14.
