Jan. 23, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4 Ohio State men’s tennis team continues the spring season Thursday with a home doubleheader vs. Youngstown State and Cleveland State at the Varsity Indoor Tennis Center. The Buckeyes will face the Penguins at 2 p.m., followed by the Vikings at 6:30 p.m. The Buckeyes then play host to ETSU, Miami University and Louisiana-Lafayette for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Saturday and Sunday. The Buckeyes conclude the weekend when they take on Toledo at 7 p.m. Sunday.

In the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event, the host Buckeyes will face ETSU at 10 a.m., followed by Miami and Louisiana-Lafayette (not before 1 p.m.) Saturday. Sunday, the consolation match is at 10 a.m., with the championship match to follow (not before 1 p.m.).

Buckeyes Take on Penguins and Vikings
Fourth-ranked Ohio State is undefeated against Youngstown State and Cleveland State, with a combined record of 9-0. Individually, the Buckeyes have beaten the Penguins in both their meetings for a record of 2-0. When matched up against the Vikings, the Scarlet and Gray own a 7-0 record.

Another Doubleheader for the Buckeyes
No. 4 Ohio State’s first two matches of the spring season came in the form of a home doubleheader Jan. 16 vs. Butler and Xavier. The Buckeyes did not allow a point to the Bulldogs, winning 7-0. Ohio State then turned their sights to Xavier, defeating the Musketeers 6-1. 

Ohio State Hosts ITA Kick-Off Weekend
No. 4 Ohio State is one of 15 schools selected to host a four team tournament this weekend as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The 15 winners at each site earn automatic qualification for the 2013 ITA National Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes have hosted and won an ITA Kick-Off Weekend event each of the last four years. The record for the Scarlet and Gray in this event is a perfect 8-0 heading into the match vs. ETSU Saturday. As a host school in 2012, No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 29 Indiana in the championship match 4-0.

Ohio State vs. Toledo
In 31 matches vs. the Rockets, the Buckeyes have compiled a record of 28-3, including a record of 12-0 under current Ohio State head coach and director of tennis, Ty Tucker.

Next Time Out 
No. 4 Ohio State will face No. 6 Georgia Feb 3., the first of eight of Ohio State’s 2013 opponents that are ranked in the Top 25. The Buckeyes will look to improve upon their 3-10 record all-time against the Bulldogs and capitalize on the fact that they are 5-3 when facing the sixth-ranked team in the country.