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Women’s NTI Semifinals Set: Ohio State Stuns Vanderbilt

by | Feb 7, 2016 | Blog

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Saturday’s action is complete at the 2016 ITA Women’s National Team Indoors and the semifinals are set with #16 Ohio State playing #6 Cal and #5 North Carolina facing off against #2 Georgia. Ohio State had the stunner of the year taking out the reigning NCAA champions Vanderbilt, while the rest of the remaining teams lived up to their seeding.

Again, I’d like to thank Jonathan Kelley from On The Rise for his tweets and coverage at the NTI. You will be able to check out his thoughts and quotes at ZooTennis later tonight.

(8) #16 Ohio State def. (1) #1 Vanderbilt 4-3
After having match points to claim the doubles point and then proceeding to lose it for the second consecutive day, the Buckeyes stormed back to take 4 first sets. One of Vanderbilt’s greatest strengths is the ability to rally and push its opponents when down. Astra Sharma continued to cruise and gave the Commodores a 2-0 lead at No.3, crushing Anna Sanford 6-2, 6-2. Olivia Sneed, who is underrated in my opinion, gave OSU their first point of the match at No.6. Ferny Angeles Paz had a thriller of a tiebreaker after squandering match point at 5-4 deuce. The Peru native saved 7 set points to overcome Georgina Sellyn at No.5 and tie the match, which had the 3 remaining courts in a third set. Francesca DiLorenzo gave Ohio State their first lead with a solid win (and after a second set breadstick) over Sydney Campbell. Frances Altick, who was match point down in her unfinished match yesterday, recovered from a set down to keep Vanderbilt in contention and set up the 3-3 showdown at No.4. Miho Kowase, sister of All-American Maho and probably the smallest competitor in Madison, wore down Courtney Colton and ended the match with a volley winner, which Jonathan Kelley captured below.

Ohio State vs. Vanderbilt
1. #11 Colton/Campbell (VAN) def. #6 Sanford/Kowase (OSU), 7-5
2. Sharma/Yates (VAN) def. DeSantis/Angeles Paz (OSU), 6-2

3. Sneed/DiLorenzo (FSU) def. Altick/Contreras (VAN), 6-2

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
1. #2 Francesca DiLorenzo (OSU, 12.05 UTR) def. #24 Sydney Campbell (VAN, 11.21 UTR), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
2. #15 Frances Altick (VAN, 11.68 UTR) def. Gabriella DeSantis (OSU, 10.31 UTR), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. #33 Astra Sharma (VAN, 11.26 UTR) def. Anna Sanford (OSU, 10.62 UTR), 6-2, 6-2
4. Miho Kowase (OSU, 10.37 UTR) vs. Courtney Colton (VAN, 11.07 UTR), 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU, 10.61 UTR) def. Georgina Sellyn (VAN, 10.05 UTR), 6-1, 7-6(13-11)
6. Olivia Sneed (OSU, 9.85 UTR) def. Ellie Yates (VAN, 10.17 UTR), 6-0, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 5, 1, 2, 4*

(4)#6 California def. #7 Virginia 4-1
Virginia was going to have to have a near-flawless day to escape the California Bears. Cal stormed to a quick doubles point and then a blitz win by Karla Popovic at No.6. Danielle Collins gave the Cavaliers their first point of the match by knocking out Maegan Manasse in a Top 5 battle. Olivia Hauger put the Bears within a point of a semifinal berth with a win over Meghan Kelley at No.5. Denise Starr found herself in a third set after bageling Victoria Olivarez at No.4, but secured a break she needed to put Cal through. Julia Elbaba was two games from victory in a Top 10 matchup against Klara Fabikova before play was called and Lynn Chi was in a close battle against Stephanie Nauta when Starr clinched the win.
California vs. Virginia

1. #3 Manasse/Starr (CAL) def. #19 Collins/Kelley (VA) 6-2
2. #43 Klara Fabikova/Olivia Hauger (CAL) vs. Elbaba/Nauta (VA) 5-2, unfinished
3. Chi/Smith (CAL) def. Olivarez/Susi (VA) 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 2*

1. #4 Danielle Collins (UVA, 12.10 UTR) def. #5 Maegan Manasse (CAL, 11.65 UTR), 6-3, 6-1
2. #8 Julia Elbaba (UVA, 11.78 UTR)  vs. #10 Klara Fabikova (CAL, 11.40 UTR), 6-3, 5-6, unfinished
3. Lynn Chi (CAL, 11.25 UTR) vs. #30 Stephanie Nauta (UVA, 10.94 UTR), 7-6(7-1), 4-4, unfinished
4. Denise Starr (CAL, 11.23 UTR) def. Victoria Olivarez (UVA, 10.06 UTR), 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
5. #81 Olivia Hauger (CAL, 11.01 UTR) def. Meghan Kelley (UVA, 10.22 UTR), 6-4, 6-4
6. Karla Popovic (CAL, 10.60 UTR) def. Taylor Wingo (UVA, UTR), 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5, 4*
(3)#5 North Carolina def. #T-18 LSU 4-1
North Carolina continued their march towards another NTI title with another solid team effort. The Tar Heels looked impressive in their doubles matches, snatching the point with the loss of only 3 games. Whitney Kay scored an upset at No. 2 over Jessica Golovin to increase the UNC lead before Hayley Carter routed Joana Vale Costa at No.1. Cater continues to shine this week and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the All-Tournament team in singles and doubles. Skylar Kuykendall gave the Tigers their first point with a straight-set win at No.3 over Kate Vialle, but it wouldn’t be long before Chloe Ouellet-Pizer clinched the match for North Carolina at No.6. Jessie Aney was up in the final set against Ryann Foster at No.4 and Marika Akkerman was two games from her win at No.5 when play was called.
North Carolina vs. LSU

1. #2 Carter/Kay (UNC) vs. Vale Costa/Foster (LSU), 5-4, unfinished
2. #16 Aney/Vialle (UNC) def. Kuykendall/Owens (LSU), 6-0
3. Dai/Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) def. Holloway/Taylor (LSU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3*

1. #6 Hayley Carter (UNC, 11.73 UTR) def. #23 Joana Vale Costa (LSU, 11.20 UTR), 6-1, 6-3
2. #88 Whitney Kay (UNC, 10.76 UTR) def. #52 Jessica Golovin (10.93 UTR), 6-3, 6-1
3. #93 Skylar Kuykendall (10.59 UTR) def. Kate Vialle (UNC, 10.54 UTR), 6-2, 6-4
4. #68 Jessie Aney (UNC, 11.20 UTR) def. Ryann Foster (LSU, 10.30 UTR), 6-3, 2-6, 2-1, unfinished
5. Marika Akkerman (UNC, 10.81 UTR) vs. Abby Owens (LSU, 10.66 UTR), 6-3, 5-6, unfinished
6. #112 Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC, 10.58 UTR) def. Ella Taylor (LSU, 10.39 UTR), 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 6*

(2)#2 Georgia def. #12 Michigan 1
UGA had to be ready for a strong test from Michigan, who knows how to play indoors well. The Bulldogs competed well in doubles to secure that point, but Brienne Minor was quick to give them a bigger lead by knocking out Caroline Brinson quite convincingly. Silvia Garcia and Mariana Gould captured points 2 and 3 for Georgia at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Kennedy Shaffer moved up a position in the lineup and downed Kate Fahey at No.3 to advance UGA through to the semifinals against North Carolina. At No.6, Laura Patterson was a set and 3-2 up against Teona Velehorschi and Ellen Perez was tied in a third set against Ronit Yurovsky at No.1 when play was called.


Georgia vs. Michigan

1. #14 Perez/Gould (UGA) vs. Ruder-Hook/Minor (MICH), 5-4, unfinished
2. Garcia/Brinson (UGA) def. Yurovsky/Fahey (MICH), 6-3
3. Patterson/Shaffer (UGA) def. Hall/Najarian (MICH), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
1. #12 Ellen Perez (UGA, 11.57 UTR) vs. #17 Ronit Yurovsky (MICH, 11.25 UTR), 6-2, 4-6, 1-1, unfinished
2. #19 Brienne Minor (MICH, 11.39 UTR)  def. #22 Caroline Brinson (UGA, 11.32 UTR), 6-3, 6-1
3. #109 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA, 11.33 UTR) def. #107 Kate Fahey (MICH, 10.98 UTR), 6-2, 6-4
4. #82 Silvia Garcia (UGA, 11.10 UTR) def. Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH, 10.07 UTR), 6-2, 6-3
5. Mariana Gould (UGA, 10.50 UTR) def. Alex Najarian (MICH, 10.43 UTR), 6-4, 6-4
6. Laura Patterson (UGA, 10.05 UTR) vs. Teona Velehorschi (MICH, 10.16 UTR), 7-5, 3-2, unfinished
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 3*

Consolation Matches (will be updated tonight when play ends)
No. 6 Oklahoma State 4, Alabama 1
Texas Tech 4, No. 7 Miami 3
No. 5 Texas A&M 4, Wisconsin 0
Duke 4, Fresno State 0

Day 3 Predictions

Semifinals

No. 8 Ohio State def. No. 4 California 4-3
No. 3 North Carolina def. No. 2 Georgia 4-2

Consolation
No. 6 Oklahoma State def. No. 7 Miami 4-2
Alabama def. Texas Tech 4-2
Fresno State def. Wisconsin 4-2
Duke def. No. 5 Texas A&M 4-1

I think the Cal-Ohio State match will go down to the wire, but the doubles point and middle of the lineup will be big keys for the Buckeyes. Last year, an eighth-seeded Georgia upset the top seeds/reigning NCAA champions en route to the final, so are the cards laid out for Ohio State to do it again? If OSU, a team making their NTI debut, can handle the moment and the emotions after a big win, I think they have a good chance to win. However, I’m looking forward to the Georgia-UNC match, which has the potential to be a blockbuster. On paper, UNC are the underdogs, but with the calibre of their doubles and the depth of their lineup, I think they should be able to make the finals again. The Hayley Carter-Ellen Perez matchup could have some of the best shotmaking of the entire match and expect an upset or two from UGA if they can sink their teeth into the match.
You can visit Wisconsin’s home page for the National Team Indoors here.