In a match that came down to a third set on court four, the No. 9-ranked Ohio State women’s tennis team prevailed 4-3 in the Big Ten Tournament championship against No. 3 Michigan Saturday. The tournament was played at Libbey Park in Ojai, Calif., with the final, that took more than three and a half hours, ending under the lights. The Buckeyes are now 21-3 on the year, with Michigan 23-4.
The tournament title is the fourth in Buckeye history (2016, ’17, 21). Ohio State was playing in the Big Ten Tournament final for the fifth year in a row, all against the Wolverines, and making the ninth appearance in the final for the program.
Sydni Ratliff was selected the B1G Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was joined by Luciana Perry on the 2025 Big Ten All-Tournament Team. They were both 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles in the tournament. Ohio State defeated Illinois 4-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 18 Washington 4-1 in the semifinals before the victory over Michigan.
The Short Story
In the final, the No. 1 seed Wolverines earned the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. Ohio State quickly responded, gaining a 2-1 advantage with straight set singles wins from No. 10 Luciana Perry and No. 30 Teah Chavez on courts two and one, respectively.
After Michigan posted two more singles wins for a 3-2 lead, Ohio State’s Sydni Ratliff tied the match with a three-set win, leaving the championship to be decided in a third set on court four between freshmen Nao Nishino of Ohio State and Michigan’s Emily Sartz-Lunde. Nishino lost the first set in a tiebreaker and won the second in a tiebreaker, including saving a match point. In the third set, Nishino prevailed 6-4 to clinch the match and the team title.
How it Happened
- Michigan earned the doubles point after prevailing on courts one and three. The Wolverines won 6-1 on court three. On court one, a showdown between Top 20 teams went to Michigan, 6-3.
- Ohio State worked toward an early lead in singles, securing the first set on four of six courts.
- No. 10 Luciana Perry tied the match with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 25 Piper Charney on court two. Perry won the final three games in the first set, breaking on the no-ad point for a 6-4 win, and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set two en route to the win.
- On court one, No. 30 Teah Chavez followed quickly with a straight-set victory over No. 5 Julia Fliegner, 6-3, 6-3, for a 2-1 Ohio State lead. The Buckeye won the final three games in the first set and carried the momentum into the second set, as she raced out to a 4-0 lead.
- Michigan tied the match at two-all with a win on court five. After a shutout by Shelly Bereznyak in the first set, the Wolverines’ Reese Miller rallied and won the next two sets (6-2, 6-2).
- On court six, No. 99 Audrey Spencer of Ohio State dropped the first set against Jessica Bernales in a tiebreaker but won the second set, 6-2, to force a third. Bernales pulled away in the final set for a 3-2 Wolverine lead.
- No. 94-ranked Sydni Ratliff defeated No. 41 Lily Jones on court three, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, to tie the team score and leave the title to be decided on court four. In the first set, Ratliff held for a 6-5 lead and then broke on the no-ad point for the set. After Jones took the second set, Ratliff won the final three games in the last set to secure the win.
- The match and the Big Ten title came down to court four between freshmen Nao Nishino of Ohio State and Emily Sartz-Lunde. The first two sets went to a tiebreaker, with the Wolverine winning the first, 7-6 (5) and the Buckeye taking the second, 7-6 (7). Nishino saved match point at 5-6 and won four of the final five points for the set. In the third, each player held to start before they traded breaks. After two holds, with both on the deciding point, the Wolverine was assessed a point penalty giving Nishino a 5-3 lead. Sartz-Lunde broke for 5-4 but Nishino broke back on the no-ad point to clinch the win, 6-4.
Buckeye This and That
- The tournament title earned the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament for the Buckeyes. Ohio State will be making its 11th consecutive and 21st overall NCAA appearance.
- The Buckeyes’ first NCAA appearance was in 1996. The squad qualified six years in a row from 1999-04, had a three-year stretch from 2008-10 and began the most recent streak in 2014, with no tournament held in 2020.
- The match was the third between the Buckeyes and Wolverines this season, with Michigan winning the first two. Ohio State suffered a 4-3 loss in a Big Ten match in Ann Arbor March 15 and fell 4-1 at home in a nonconference match April 16.
- In singles, Perry leads the Buckeyes with a 31-7 ledger overall and she has a 16-3 dual mark. Chavez is 11-1 in dual play and 24-8 overall, while Ratliff is 14-3 this spring and has a 21-9 mark in 2024-25. Nishino moved her record to 13-2 on the year and she is 25-7 overall.
The Schedule Ahead
- The NCAA field will be announced at 5 p.m. Monday on NCAA.com.
- The first and second rounds will take place May 2-4 with the Top 16 seeds as host sites. The super regional round is May 9-10 on campus sites.
- The final three rounds will be held May 15-18 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
The Results
Ohio State vs Michigan
4/26/2025 at Ojai, Calif. (Libbey Park)
#9 Ohio State 4, #3 Michigan 3
Singles competition
1. #30 Teah Chavez (OSU) def. #5 Julia Fliegner (UM) 6-3, 6-3
2. #10 Luciana Perry (OSU) def. #25 Piper Charney (UM) 6-4, 6-3
3. #94 Sydni Ratliff (OSU) def. #41 Lily Jones (UM) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
4. Nao Nishino (OSU) def. #82 Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
5. Reese Miller (UM) def. Shelly Bereznyak (OSU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Jessica Bernales (UM) def. #99 Audrey Spencer (OSU) 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #20 Jessica Bernales/Lily Jones (UM) def. #19 Luciana Perry/Teah Chavez (OSU) 6-3
2. Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (UM) vs. Audrey Spencer/Nao Nishino (OSU) 3-3, unfinished
3. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) def. Sydni Ratliff/Dani Schoenly (OSU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Ohio State 20-4; National ranking #9
Michigan 24-3; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,1,5,6,3,4)
Big Ten Tournament Championship
UM No. 1 seed, OSU No. 2
T-3:40