The Ohio State women's tennis team is heading back to the national semifinals for the first time since 2017, and they did it in style. On Friday afternoon in Athens, Georgia, the Buckeyes avenged one of their few losses this season by sweeping past Pepperdine 4-0 in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
From the opening serve, Ohio State showed they meant business. The doubles point set the tone, with Luciana Perry and Flora Johnson delivering a dominant performance on Court 1. While Court 2 had some shaky moments, Sophia Cisse Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer stepped up to secure the crucial doubles point and give the Buckeyes early momentum.
The singles lineup featured a strategic shakeup, with Alessia Cau sliding into Hephzibah Oluwadare's usual spot. Cau's match was a rollercoaster—she dropped the first set 0-6 but showed incredible fight, rallying from an early second-set deficit to win it. She was locked in a tight third set when the team match ended, but that gritty experience could prove invaluable if she's called upon again in the semifinals.
Nao Nishino also had to dig deep after losing her opening set 1-6. But once she found her rhythm, she was unstoppable, dominating the second set and never looking back. Meanwhile, Perry was her usual dominant self, winning in straight sets despite giving away a second-set lead before pulling through in a tiebreak. Cisse Ignatiev added another straight-sets win, and Teah Chavez showed resilience even after relinquishing a big second-set lead to lose 5-7. It was Nishino's comeback that sealed the 4-0 victory, though the usually reliable Spencer seemed to fade late—something to watch as the Buckeyes prepare for the semifinals.
This marks just the second national semifinal appearance in program history. The first came in 2017—also in Athens—where Ohio State fell in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Stanford that went deep into the night, decided by a third-set tiebreak. This year, the Buckeyes face Auburn, a team that has been one of the season's biggest surprises. With momentum on their side and a hungry roster, Ohio State is ready to write a new chapter.