The Ohio State Women’s Tennis team stands for the National Anthem before the Ohio State-Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament match May 8, 2021. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 4 Ohio State women’s tennis faces Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, to kick off Big Ten play Friday.
The Buckeyes (6-3) are coming off a 5-2 victory at home against then-No. 8 Pepperdine Sunday, while Penn State (4-4) suffered its fourth loss Feb. 13 against Kentucky in Lexington 4-3.
Head coach Melissa Schaub said she is confident the team is ready to compete as they enter the next crucial phase of their season.
“We’re just really excited, and it’s almost a new season here that we’re starting out,” Schaub said. “We just try to make sure we’re working hard, keep trying to get better every single match and let the rest take care of itself.”
Despite the match being the team’s first against a conference opponent, senior Kolie Allen said she doesn’t think that will affect the team’s performance.
“We’re just fighters and we’re going to fight all season,” Allen said. “The fans should look out for that.”
While having Buckeye support certainly helps the team perform, Ohio State won’t have as many supporters on the road in University Park. Overcoming the noise is a challenge Schaub said she is ready to take on.
“It’s going to be a tough road match, and I think that’s actually good for us,” Schaub said. “Penn State is a tough place to go play. They’re very good everywhere they play, especially at home. We need to be tough, we need to be ready to go, and I think that’s something we’ll focus on.”
The Nittany Lions are coming off a match that saw the duo of sophomore Sofiya Chekhlystova and graduate student Gabby O’Gorman, along with senior Olivia Ryan and freshman Yvonne Zuffova take the doubles point from Kentucky. Chekhlystova also earned her fourth-consecutive singles win.
Against Pepperdine Saturday, No. 6 junior Irina Cantos Siemers extended her singles winning streak to three with a straight-set victory against No. 21 Shiori Fukuda. Cantos Siemers and doubles partner freshman Sydni Ratliff moved their overall record to 12-5 with a 7-5 win over the No. 11 duo of graduate student Victoria Flores and junior Lisa Zaar.
Allen also pushed her team-high winning streak to four games in singles with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 83 Janice Tjen.
The match will be played at 4 p.m. A livestream and scoring will be provided through Penn State’s website.
