April 18, 2014
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team fell to the top ranked team in the country Friday evening, as Ohio State swept the Hawkeyes, 7-0. The Buckeyes (26-3, 10-0) clinched their ninth-straight Big Ten regular season title with the victory over Iowa (9-13, 1-9).
“It is clear that Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the nation, and they proved that tonight,” said UI head coach Steve Houghton. “I thought our team played extremely well, and really fought hard in doubles.”
Ohio State claimed the doubles point behind a pair of victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. Iowa’s No. 2 team of senior Jonas Dierckx and junior Matt Hagan were in a position to claim a victory in their match, as they led Chris Diaz and Hunter Callahan 6-4. The match went unfinished, however, once the Buckeyes secured the point.
Singles play saw the Buckeyes claim all six matches, with five of them being secured in straight sets. Hagan, competing at the No. 4 position, fought to force a third-set tiebreaker. After claiming the first set 7-6 (7-4), Hagan dropped a close second set with a 7-6 (7-5) decision. Hagan would eventually fall in the 10-point tiebreaker to determine the outcome of the match, 10-5.
“(Matt) Hagan had a really close match tonight, as he had three match points but wasn’t able to convert. I was really pleased with the way he competed against a very good opponent,” added Houghton.
Iowa continues East, as the Hawkeyes conclude the regular season against No. 22 Penn State on Sunday. First serve between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions is schedule for noon (ET).
#1 Ohio Sate 7, Iowa 0
Doubles
1. Kobelt/Steinbach (OSU) def. Alden/Swank (UI): 8-2
2. Diaz/Hunter (OSU) vs. Dierckx/Hagan (UI): 4-6, unfinished
3. Goles-Babic/Pollanen (OSU) def. Tomlins/White (UI): 8-6
Singles
1. #7 Peter Kobelt (OSU) def. Jonas Dierckx (UI): 6-1, 6-2
2. #93 Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. Brian Alden (UI): 6-1, 6-2
3. Chris Diaz (OSU) def. Juan Estenssoro (UI): 6-1, 6-1
4. Ralf Steinbach (OSU) def. Matt Hagan (UI): 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-5)
5. #110 Hunter Callahan (OSU) def. Dominic Patrick (UI): 6-0, 6-2
6. Marko Goles-Babic (OSU) def. Michael Swank (UI): 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,6,5,2,3,4)
