April 30, 2004

Sixth-seeded Ohio State pulled off the second straight upset of the Big Ten Tournament, ousting the third-seeded and 20th-ranked Fighting Illini, 4-2, late Friday night at the Vandy Christy Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill. Inclement weather forced matches indoors on the Northwestern campus, and the match, which was originally scheduled to start at 2 p.m., didn't get started until approximately 7:30 p.m. and was completed at about 11:30.

Illinois started off well with a win at No. 1 doubles, as Cynthya Goulet and Jennifer McGaffigan scored an 8-3 decision over the Buckeyes' Erica Fisk and Jackie Leskovar. But the doubles point went to Ohio State as Lindsay Williams and Meagan Colville topped Tiffany Eklov and Isabel Jarosz, 8-5, in the No. 2 match, and OSU's Lindsay Bryan and Lindsey Adams clinched the point with a 9-8 (7) win at No. 3 over Emily Wang and Eva Choe.

Goulet tied the match at 1-1 with her 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 3 singles over Leskovar. The Buckeyes reclaimed the lead when Adams posted a 6-4, 6-2 win over Eva Choe at No. 5. The Fighting Illini came back to tie the score when McGaffigan finished off Williams, 7-6 (1), 6-4, in the No. 1 contest. Ohio State took the lead for good when Eklov fell to Fisk, 7-5, 6-3, at No. 2. Ohio State's DeCamilla closed the door on the match at No. 4 singles, by defeating Jarosz, 6-4, 6-4.

"I am proud of Cynthya," said Lama. "She has really blossomed this year. She has had a great attitude, on and off the court, and has developed a strong work ethic. When you do all of those things, you are rewarded with success."

The singles win by McGaffigan set an Illinois' career singles record of 104. McGaffigan is already atop Illinois' career doubles wins list with 104 and career combined wins list with 208.

"Jennifer is the ultimate team player," said Lama. "She has had an amazing career at Illinois."

The loss moves Illinois' record to 17-5 overall and 8-3 against Big Ten clubs. The Buckeyes evened their season record to 12-12 and their Big Ten mark to 6-5. Ohio State will take on Iowa, upset winner over No. 2 seed Indiana, in one Saturday semifinal and top-seeded Northwestern and fourth-seeded Michigan will square off in the other.

"Our team fought hard and put forth the effort, but Ohio State played solid tennis," said UI Coach Sujay Lama. "Once again, not winning the doubles point came back to haunt us. I am disappointed, especially for the three seniors. We wanted them to finish off their career with a Big Ten title. Now we need to regroup and get ready for the NCAA's."

Illinois will await a likely NCAA Tournament berth; the announcement of the brackets will take place Wednesday afternoon, May 5.

FRIDAY'S RESULTS:
#6 seed Ohio State 4, #3 seed Illinois 2

Doubles:
1. #14 Jennifer McGaffigan/Cynthya Goulet (ILL) def. Erica Fisk/Jackie Leskovar (OSU)   8-3
2. Lindsay Williams/Meaghan Colville (OSU) def. Tiffany Eklov/Isabel Jarosz (ILL)       8-5
3. Lindsey Adams/Emily DeCamilla (OSU) def. Emily Wang/Eva Choe (ILL)                   9-8 (7)

Singles: 1. #36 Jennifer McGaffgan (ILL) def. Lindsay Williams (OSU) 7-6 (1), 6-2 2. Erica Fisk (OSU) def. Tiffany Eklov (ILL) 7-5, 6-3 3. Cynthya Goulet (ILL) def. Jackie Leskovar (OSU) 6-1, 6-4 4. Emily DeCamilla (OSU) def. Isabel Jarosz (ILL) 6-4, 6-4 5. Lindsey Adams (OSU) def. Eva Choe (ILL) 6-4, 6-2 6. Pavlina Akritas (ILL) vs. Lindsay Bryan (OSU) DNF