Toran Ribes wins Kansas’ only point against No. 14 Ohio State
Despoina Vogasari returned a point during a 6-4 doubles win with Anastasia Rychagova.
No. 14 Ohio State 4, Kansas 1
Varsity Tennis Center
Columbus, Ohio
January 26, 2018
DOUBLES
| No. 1 | Sanford/Fukuda (OSU) def. Khmelnitckaia/Nikolaeva (KU) 6-4 |
| No. 2 | Sneed/Hurley (OSU) def. Koch/Toran Ribes (KU) 6-1 |
| No. 3 | Rychagova/Vogasari (KU) def Wolf/DeCoste (OSU) 6-4 |
Order of Finish: 2,3,1
SINGLES
| No. 1 | Sanford (OSU) def. #94 Vogasari (KU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 |
| No. 2 | #80 Fukuda (OSU) def. #90 Koch (KU) 6-1, 6-4 |
| No. 3 | Sneed (OSU) def. #112 Khmelnitckaia (KU) 1-6, 7-6 (0), 6-3 |
| No. 4 | Toran Ribes (KU) def. Hurley (OSU) 6-0, 6-2 |
| No. 5 | Nikolaeva (KU) vs. Wolf (OSU) DNF 6-2, 5-6, 5-2 |
| No. 6 | Pons Martorell (KU) vs. DeCoste (OSU) DNF 7-6 (3), 0-6, 3-5 |
Order of Finish: 4,2,1,3COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kansas sophomore Maria Toran Ribes scored the Jayhawks’ only match point for the second-consecutive competition in a 4-1 loss against No. 14 Ohio State at the Varsity Tennis in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes claimed the first doubles match of the day with Olivia Sneed and Mary Beth Hurley downing Janet Koch and Maria Toran Ribes, 6-1, at the No. 2 position.
With only two matches left and the doubles point on the line, Anastasia Rychagova and Despoina Vogasari evened the playing field with their, 6-4, victory over Danielle Wolf and Emma DeCoste. The duo had found themselves down, 2-1, on court three and won three-straight games to take a 5-3 lead and eventually win the match.
Down to court one, Nina Khmelnitckaia and Tatiana Nikolaeva came back from a slow start to bring the match within one at 5-4, but were not able to finish, losing 6-4, and giving Ohio State the doubles point to put them up, 1-0.
“Congratulations to Ohio State,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “They played well and were deserving of the win (Friday).”
Facing Hurley in singles, Toran Ribes blanked the Buckeye in the first set, 6-0, at the No. 4 position. She then took an early 2-0 lead in the second set. Hurley won two-straight games, but Toran Ribes finished the set with four points in-a-row to win her match, 6-0, 6-2, and get the Jayhawks on the board at 1-1.
On court two, No. 80 Fukuda made quick work of No. 90 Koch in the first set, winning 6-1. Koch battled in the second set, but ultimately dropped the match, 6-1, 6-4, with Ohio State taking a, 2-1, match lead.
At the No. 1 spot, No. 94-ranked Vogasari fell behind, 5-2, before winning two-consecutive games to come within one of Sanford in the first set. She couldn’t top the Buckeye and dropped the first set, 6-4. Vogasari bounced back from a first set loss to take the second set, 6-3, and force a third. Sanford blanked Vogasari in the third set to win, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, and give the Buckeyes a 3-1 lead.
No. 112 Khmelnitckaia breezed through her first set in the No. 3 position, winning, 6-1, against Sneed, allowing her to score just one point in the second game. Khmelnitckaia and Sneed played a toe-to-toe second set, sending it into a tiebreaker. The Buckeye swept Khmelnitckaia, 7-0, to win the set, 7-6 (0), and force a third. Down, 5-3, 40-40, in the third set, Khmelnitckaia double faulted, ending the match at, 1-6, 7-6 (0), 6-3, with Ohio State claiming the overall victory, 4-1.
Competing at the No. 5 spot, Nikolaeva led throughout her first set to top Danielle Wolf, 6-2. Nikolaeva and Wolf played a tough second with the Buckeye coming out on top, 6-4. The Kansas sophomore took an early 3-0 lead in her third set. With the overall match decided, the duo did not complete the third set, finishing tied at 5-5.
Carla Pons Martorell and Emma DeCoste spent their first set going back and forth for each point on court six. Pons Martorell tied the set at 6-6 to send the pair into a tiebreaker. The Jayhawk came out on top, taking the first set, 7-6 (3). After a tough first, DeCoste claimed the second set at, 6-0. Pons Martorell and DeCoste did not get to finish their third set, but as the dual match ended with Ohio State up, 5-3.
Kansas will face No. 18 Arkansas at 6 p.m., CT Saturday.
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