Butler men's tennis falls at No. 6 Ohio State in NCAA First Round play

May 13, 2006

Sixth-ranked Ohio State fought off a feisty effort from visiting Butler University, downing the Bulldogs, 4-0, in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes won two of three doubles matches to take the doubles point before winning three singles matches. Ohio State advances to play the winner of the Arkansas-Michigan match to be played later today in Columbus, Ohio.

Butler, making its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance as the Horizon League's representative, received an 8-6 win from the second-seeded duo of Andy Bartish and James Low. Ohio State countered to win the No. 1 and 3 doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead and momentum into singles play, where they won three matches.

The Bulldogs finish the season with a 14-10 record. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for Butler, including two matches in the Horizon League Tournament. Ohio State improves to 26-1 on the season. The match was the final collegiate contest for seniors Brandon Gill, Parker Ross and Andy Bartish, each of whom collected All-Horizon League honors during their Butler careers.

Ohio State 4, Butler 0

Singles:
Bryan Koniecko (OSU) def. Brandon Gill, 6-2, 6-1
Chris Klingemann (OSU) def. James Low (BU) did not finish
Devin Mullings (OSU) def. Parker Ross, 6-1, 6-1
Steven Moneke (OSU) and Andy Bartish (BU) did not finish
Dennis Mertens (OSU) and Evan West (BU) did not finish
Ross Wilson (OSU) def. Eric Breitenbach, 6-3, 6-3

Doubles:
Scott Green and Wilson (OSU) def. Gill/Ross, 8-4
Bartish and Low (BU) def. Koniecko and Drew Eberly, 8-6
Mullings/Klingemann (OSU) def. Tony Aker and Breitenbach, 8-2

Information provided by Butler Sports Information