Top-seeded Ohio State men's tennis team seeking elusive NCAA championship
So far, it has been the dream season the Ohio State men’s tennis team hoped and expected it to be.
The domination the No. 1 seed Buckeyes (30-1) have imposed on opponents will either be a prelude to an elusive NCAA national championship or an even more painful disappointment if OSU falls short.
The Buckeyes – both men and women − open the NCAA Tournament this weekend at home. The men play Cleveland State (21-6) in the first round Friday afternoon with a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. following the 10 a.m. match between Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State. The second-round match will start at about 4 p.m. Saturday.
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The 12th-seeded OSU women (19-7) play Toledo (18-5) in their first-round match Saturday at about 1 p.m., following the 10 a.m. match between Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. The women’s second-round match will be at noon Sunday.
The OSU men lost in the championship match to Virginia last year, another in a succession of heartbreaks in the NCAA Tournament. But this year’s team might be better equipped than its predecessors to win it all.
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Fifth-year seniors Cannon Kingsley and Justin Boulais re-enrolled in school this winter after playing professionally in the fall. The Buckeyes won the ITA Indoor Team national championship for the third time in February and rolled to the Big Ten title last week.
“Now we’re going for the big one,” Kingsley said. “It would mean everything to me. My dream is to win a national championship, and I’m sure all the other guys on the squad would say the same thing. I think the fact that we all have that same goal as our No. 1 priority will get us over the top this year.”
Kingsley and Boulais have shared the No. 1 and 2 singles spots with a combined record in dual matches of 31-10. The rest of the Buckeyes have been nearly perfect. Jack Anthrop is 23-0, mostly at No. 4. Alexander Bernard has the same record, mostly at No. 6.
J.J. Tracy, who was named the Big Ten tournament’s outstanding player, and Robert Cash have each lost only one dual match.
OSU’s players said they want to win an NCAA title for Tucker, who has won everything else in his 25-year coaching career.
Tucker doesn’t want it to be about himself.
“It would mean a lot to all the players, all the coaches, past and present,” he said, “everybody that’s put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it.”
The pressure isn’t as intense for the Buckeye women. But coach Melissa Schaub believes her team is peaking. No. 1 singles player Irina Cantos Siemers is a fifth-year senior, but most of the team is young.
“We lost five seniors last year and have four freshmen this year,” Schaub said. “When that’s pretty much half your team, you’re always concerned about what’s in store. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and what they’re doing.
“I think we can play with anyone in the country right now. I really do. We haven’t played our best match yet. We’ll just compete and see what happens.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NCAA Tennis Tournament: Ohio state teams seeking championship title
