The University of Minnesota men's tennis team met its match in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Big Ten Championship, falling to No. 2 seed Ohio State, 4-0, today in Champaign, Ill. The seventh-seeded Golden Gophers (9-13) lost a hotly-contested doubles point to the 26th-ranked Buckeyes and failed to mount a rally in singles play to see their losing streak to OSU reach four matches.

Minnesota, ranked 54th in the nation, now looks to gain a bid to the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships for the 12th consecutive season. The brackets for the 2005 national tournament will be announced at 3:45 p.m., on Wednesday, May 4, on ESPNews.

The Golden Gophers opened the match vs. OSU with a valiant effort in doubles play. Minnesota posted a win at No. 3 as D.J. Geatz and Mikey Kantar upended Joey Atas and Drew Eberly for their second win in as many days.

After a loss at No. 2, the doubles point came down to a marathon battle at No. 1 between Minnesota's 50th-ranked duo of Avery Ticer and Adrien Debreyne, and Ohio State's fifth-ranked team of Scott Green and Ross Wilson. The Buckeyes exacted a bit of revenge on the Golden Gophers with a 9-8 (3) victory after Ticer and Debreyne upset the then-No. 1 OSU duo in March. With the loss, the Minnesota duo saw its four-match winning streak come to a close.

With the doubles point in hand, Ohio State cruised to the team win with three straight-set wins in singles play. Atas, ranked No. 59 in the nation, put OSU up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Geatz at No. 3. A short time later, Drew Eberly gave the Buckeyes a three-point lead with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Brian Lipinski at No. 6.

Ohio State clinched the dual win and the shutout with 57th-ranked Devin Mullings upsetting 31st-ranked Avery Ticer. 6-2, 6-4. With the loss, Ticer's first vs. a lower-ranked opponent since November, the Golden Gopher captain fell to 22-8 overall this season. He is now 7- 4 vs. ranked opponents in 2004-05.

#7 seed/#54 Minnesota vs. #2 seed/#26 Ohio State
2005 Big Ten Championship - Quarterfinal
Champaign, Ill.
April 29, 2005

Doubles
1. #5 Scott Green/Ross Wilson (OSU) def. #50 Avery Ticer/Adrien Debreyne (MN), 9-8 (3)
2. Chris Klingemann/Devin Mullings (OSU) def. Nic Edlefsen/Raoul Schwark (MN), 8-4
3. D.J. Geatz/Mikey Kantar (MN) def. Joey Atas/Drew Eberly (OSU), 8- 6
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
1. #57 Devin Mullings (OSU) def. #31 Avery Ticer (MN), 6-2, 6-4
2. Chris Klingemann (OSU) led #116 Adrien Debreyne (MN), 7-5, 5-4 abandoned
3. #59 Joey Atas (OSU) def. D.J. Geatz (MN), 6-3, 6-2
4. Nic Edlefsen (MN) led Scott Green (OSU), 3-6, 6-4, 4-3 abandoned
5. Raoul Schwark (MN) led Ross Wilson (OSU), 4-6, 6-1, 3-2 abandoned
6. Drew Eberly (OSU) def. Brian Lipinski (MN), 6-0, 7- 5
Order of finish: 3, 6, 1

#2 seed/#26 Ohio State def. #7 seed/#54 Minnesota, 4-0