COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Old Dominion men’s tennis team (6-0) was too much for Denver (1-1) in a 4-0 victory on Friday in the 2017 ITA Kick-Off. With the win, the Monarchs will take on No. 3 nationally ranked Ohio State on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 4:00 p.m. The winner advances to next month's ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Virginia.
Old Dominion at No. 4 nationally ranked Ohio State Video for Saturday:
“This was another great day for the program,” said ODU head coach Dominik Mueller. “Denver won their conference three years in a row and has a winning culture. They are a talented and well-coached team. Ohio State is ranked third in the country for a reason, but we are excited to compete against the best in the country. That's why we are here. After tomorrow we will know exactly where we stand.”
ODU has now won 26 of 27 singles matches this season and has claimed the doubles point in four of its opening five matches. Four of ODU’s six wins have been shutouts, while the other two came in 6-1 fashion.
Adam Moundir/Jacob Nicolussi and Aziz Kijametovic/Jose Nunez Navarro each won their respective doubles matches to claim the doubles point and 1-0 lead for Old Dominion on Friday.
It was ODU’s No. 3-5 singles picking up wins to seal the deal for the Monarchs’ 4-0 win, as Jacob Nicolussi (6-1, 6-4), Aziz Kijametovic (6-3, 6-3) and Javier Maestre (6-1, 6-3) all claimed victory.
Meet Ohio State
2017 Record: 4-0
Men’s Team ranked No. 3 currently.
Coach: Ty Tucker Head Coach/Director of Tennis
Became the head coach in ’99, and named director of tennis in 2012. Has lead OSU to 11 consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles (2006-16) and won 9 of the last 11 conference tournaments.
Two players in top five of individual rankings:
No. 2 Mikael Torpegaard – 6’4’’ 185- Junior- Virum, Denmark
Ended the 2015-2016 season with a record of 34-5 in singles play. He finished runner-up in ITA National Indoor Championships. He spent the final 5 weeks of last season and all of fall 2016 as No. 1.
No. 5 Hugo Di Feo – 5’9’’ 140- Junior- Montreal, Canada
Opened the year at No. 33, but after a runner-up finish at ITA All-American Championships and making it into the round of 16 in the Indoor Championship saw his ranking climb. Finished 6-2 in singles, 4-3 in doubles in the fall of 2016.
No. 33 Herkko Pollanen – 6’2’’ 178- Senior- Helsinki, Finland
Finished as the top player for the fall with a record of 8-2 and is currently ranked #33 for the spring.
No. 53 Martin Joyce - 6’3’’ 175- Sophomore- Hinsdale, Ill.
SCOREBOARD
Old Dominion 4, Denver 0
Singles Competition
1. Diogo Rocha (DEN) vs. No. 24 Adam Moundir (ODU) 6-2, 2-6, unfinished
2. Yannik James (DEN) vs. Michael Weindl (ODU) 4-6, 5-4, unfinished
3. Jacob Nicolussi (ODU) def. Alex Gasson (DEN) 6-1, 6-4
4. Aziz Kijametovic (ODU) def. Jesse Ruder-Hook (DEN) 6-3, 6-3
5. Javier Maestre (ODU) def. Pedro F. Del Valle (DEN) 6-1, 6-3
6. Wyatt Lovera (DEN) vs. Justin Herrera (ODU) 6-0, 5-6, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. Adam Moundir/Jacob Nicolussi (ODU) def. Alex Gasson/Yannik James (DEN) 6-1
2. Pedro F. Del Valle/Jesse Ruder-Hook (DEN) def. Michael Weindl/Javier Maestre (ODU) 6-4
3. Aziz Kijametovic/Jose Nunez Navarro (ODU) def. Diogo Rocha/Wyatt Lovera (DEN) 6-3
Match Notes:
Old Dominion: 6-0
Denver: 1-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,4)
Official: Marcus Lee
Time: 1:45
Attendance: 21
More on the Tournament:
There are 15 "regionals" played being played this week. In all, there are 60 teams competing in the Kick-Off Weekend events. The winners of each regional single-elimination event advance to next month's ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships.
Host sites for Kick-Off Weekend were determined using the final 2015-16 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. A draft was held to fill the No.'s 2-4 seeds at all locations, again using the final national team rankings as a guide to determine draft order.
Opening round contests at each location pits the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 seed against the No. 3 seed. The two winners advance to the following day's championship match, while the two losing teams will square off in a consolation match.
To view Kick-Off Weekend matchups for both men and women, visit the official event page HERE. Results for each site will be updated throughout the weekend.
For a complete look at the ITA Singles, Doubles and Team Rankings, please CLICK HERE.