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Women: #6 Ohio State Outlasts #5 Vanderbilt

by | Feb 14, 2016 | Blog

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I was fortunate enough to return to the Varsity Tennis Center to watch The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in an all-Top 6 matchup.
The Buckeyes, coming off of their stellar ITA Indoor debut, hosted a rematch against reigning NCAA champions Vanderbilt. OSU, then-#16, upset the top-ranked Commodores 4-3 in the NTI quarterfinals with Miho Kowase defeating Courtney Colton 6-4 in the third set. The Buckeyes moved to another program-high (No.6) ranking this week, while VU dropped to No.5. Another tight encounter was expected and the match was a 3.5 hour battle between two teams that could vie for the NCAA title.
Doubles: Vanderbilt captured the doubles point last week, but it was the Buckeyes who were able to strike first. On court 1, Anna Sanford and Kowase got revenge for their lost match points against Colton and Sydney Campbell and took their set, 6-3. Sanford’s power and Kowase’s variety to follow through at the net really showed in this match and there were some good points from both teams that ended with some great volleys. Olivia Sneed and Francesca DiLorenzo, named to the ITA NTI All-Tournament Team, clinched the doubles point and improved to 8-0 as a duo with a 6-4 win over Frances Altick and Francesca Contreras on court 3. Gaby DeSantis and Ferny Angeles Paz went up a quick 4-1 against Astra Sharma and Ellie Yates on court 2, but the Commodores held match point before play was called.
Singles:
6. Olivia Sneed (OSU, 10.05 UTR) def. Fernanda Contreras (VAN, 11.01 UTR), 6-1, 6-1
In my opinion, Olivia Sneed is one of the more underrated players on the team and one of the best No.6 players in the country. A player on court 6 usually has a backboard style of player, wearing down their opponent. Sneed powers through the ball and that’s what she did against Contreras, who was having an off day. I wasn’t able to see much of the match and Sneed didn’t help by cruising through her match without any trouble. The only glimmer of hope Contreras had today was when she broke to open the match, but Sneed settled down not too long after to score a near-UTR upset and put the Buckeyes up 2-0.

4. Miho Kowase (OSU, 10.46 UTR) vs. Georgina Sellyn (VAN, 10.28 UTR), 6-2, 6-2
A phrase to describe Kowase is “small, but mighty.” The 5’1 junior from Japan was the hero in the win over Vanderbilt and faced a different opponent in Georgina Sellyn. Sellyn was the No.1 player for Vanderbilt two years ago, but an ankle injury required surgery and her return was halted by a wrist injury that unfortunately resulted in a surgery as well. Sellyn came back last month and won her first 5 matches before falling to Ferny Angeles Paz in a titanic second set. After a tight first few games, Kowase kept Sellyn on her back feet and would move forward into the net. I don’t think Kowase lost any of the no-ad sudden death points, but her win put Ohio State one point from victory.

3. #16 Frances Altick (VAN, 11.61 UTR) def. Gabriella DeSantis (OSU, 10.33 UTR), 6-3, 6-3
This match was tighter than the score indicated and was another rematch, but both players pushed down to the No.3 slot. Last week, DeSantis stole the first set before Altick dialed in to take the match in 3. Altick broke to open the match, but DeSantis powered through the next three games. Altick, Vanderbilt’s highest-ranked player, swept DeSantis to take a set and a 3-0 lead in the second. Although DeSantis battled, the majority of the sudden death points went in favor of Altick and the Commodores took their first point.

2. #22 Astra Sharma (VAN, 11.31 UTR) def. Anna Sanford (OSU, 10.81 UTR), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Astra Sharma, who was named the No.3 singles player to the ITA NTI All-Tournament Team, routed Sanford, 6-2, 6-2 last week but Sanford’s aggressive game overpowered the Aussie in the first set. Once Sharma calmed down, she started to open up the court to keep Sanford out of her comfort zone. Sharma took the second set and cruised to a 5-1 lead in the third set before Sanford stopped the bleeding. There’s a reason why Sharma was the MVP at last year’s NCAA Championships and it’s her ability to find a Plan B and chip at her opponents. Her three-set win kept Vanderbilt alive and put pressure on OSU’s remaining court.

5. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU, 10.64 UTR) def. Courtney Colton (VAN, 10.99 UTR), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7-2)
If there was any player looking to gain revenge against OSU, it was definitely Colton. She moved down to the No.5 spot and used an early break to take the first set. Angeles Paz took Colton’s first service game, which was enough to steal set two and put momentum back in the Buckeye’s favor. Angeles Paz went up *5-2 in the third set at the same time Vanderbilt tied the second set 5-5 on court 1. All eyes moved to court 5 and Angeles Paz had a match point at sudden death, but pushed her first groundstroke wide to give Colton the break. Colton easily held to give Angeles Paz another chance to serve for the win at *5-4. Again, the game went to sudden death and a long, 14-stroke rally ended with a gutsy overhead from Colton to tie things up. Angeles Paz then broke again to serve for the match a third time, but was broken to move things into a third set tiebreaker. Angeles Paz went up 4-0 in the tiebreaker before Colton took her first point. At 6-1*, Colton threw in an aggressive 1-2 punch to save her third match point, but fourth time was the charm for Angeles Paz to seal the team win on a Colton backhand error. I feel for Colton who battled hard when the match was basically on her shoulders in an episode of deja vu. She fought extraordinary and was a class act given the circumstances.

1. #20 Sydney Campbell (VAN, 11.30 UTR) vs. #1 Francesca DiLorenzo (OSU, 11.98 UTR) 6-7(4-7), 7-5, 4-3, unfinished
By far, this was the match of the day and it was a shame the match couldn’t finish. This was the first match for DiLorenzo since she took over the No.1 ranking, the first in Ohio State (women’s) history. This match had the biggest difference in game styles and the crowd (and both players) really got into it. DiLorenzo plays a counterpunching style, sliding on the court and making the other player finish the points most of the time. Campbell, on the other hand, was the most aggressive player from Vanderbilt today. There were no breaks of serve in the first set, but DiLorenzo had to save a set point at *4-5 deuce before taking the tiebreaker. DiLorenzo then went up *5-2 in the second set and held a match point the next game at deuce, but Campbell played a perfect aggressive point, ending with a forehand winner to save. Campbell rallied to take the second set 7-5, but the first three games of the third were breaks. Campbell then held for 3-1 before DiLorenzo took the next two games to tie things up. When the match was clinched, Campbell had just broken for a *4-3 lead and the match was suspended. 

Takeaways: It’s no surprise to see Vanderbilt take the Nos. 2 and 3 wins, but I was very impressed with Campbell. While DiLorenzo is probably the frontrunner for the NCAA singles title, Campbell showed she can be included in the race if she plays like she did today. The Top 3 from Vanderbilt are incredibly stacked and although their two losses are to Ohio State, I think they’re the one of the favorites to win the SEC along with Florida and possibly Georgia. Ohio State looks pretty good to win the rest of their schedule and set up a Big Ten Championship bid vs. Michigan. The Buckeyes have a tight-knit team chemistry and the makeup of a championship-calibre team. Their doubles is strong and a win from DiLorenzo is near-guaranteed. While their lower half of the lineup is strong, they’ll need consistency from Sanford and DeSantis, who can beat nearly anyone on their good day. 
The match was a good match for the fans and was highly entertaining. Unfortunately, I think the quality could’ve been higher with regular advantage scoring for singles. I think sudden death does bring on another dramatic factor and forces the player to really keep their eyes on the prize, but there was so much good tennis today that it felt like the winning player escaped the game lucky. I expect both of these teams to reach the NCAA quarterfinals and with the right draw (and the right magic), could really shock some teams. 

#6 Ohio State def. #5 Vanderbilt 4-2
1. #8 Sanford/Kowase (OSU) def. #6 Colton/Campbell (VAN), 6-3
2. Sharma/Yates (VAN) vs. DeSantis/Angeles Paz (OSU), 5-4, unfinished

3. Sneed/DiLorenzo (FSU) def. Altick/Contreras (VAN), 6-4

Order of Finish: 3, 1*
1. #20 Sydney Campbell (VAN, 11.30 UTR) vs. #1 Francesca DiLorenzo (OSU, 11.98 UTR) 6-7(4-7), 7-5, 4-3, unfinished
2. #22 Astra Sharma (VAN, 11.31 UTR) def. Anna Sanford (OSU, 10.81 UTR), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. #16 Frances Altick (VAN, 11.61 UTR) def. Gabriella DeSantis (OSU, 10.33 UTR), 6-3, 6-3
4. Miho Kowase (OSU, 10.46 UTR) vs. Georgina Sellyn (VAN, 10.28 UTR), 6-2, 6-2
5. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU, 10.64 UTR) def. Courtney Colton (VAN, 10.99 UTR), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7-2)
6. Olivia Sneed (OSU, 10.05 UTR) def. Fernanda Contreras (VAN, 11.01 UTR), 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 2, 5*
Up next:
Ohio State: vs. #24 Georgia Tech, February 14th at 12:00pm EST
Vanderbilt: at #25 Northwestern, February 14th at 12:00pm EST