NORFOLK, Va. - For the third straight match, the Old Dominion women’s tennis team (5-1) claimed a 7-0 victory, as the Lady Monarchs defeated East Carolina (2-3) on Thursday afternoon at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. With the win, ODU’s winning streak improves to four and are now 4-0 at home this season.
Hoos Next?
Old Dominion will be back in action this on Saturday, Feb. 18, when the Lady Monarchs welcome the University of Virginia to the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center for the first time ever. There will be a pizza giveaway and admission for all is free.
ODU will also host Penn this Sunday, Feb. 19 at 10:00 a.m. to complete three matches in a matter of four days.
Match Day Professor
Thursday marked the first ever time that the tennis team recognized a ‘Match Day Professor’. ODU’s Student Athlete Academic Services’ recognizes a Match Day Professor for their outstanding commitment to student success. Today’s Match Day Professor was Janis Smith.
Janis has two degrees in English. She obtained her degrees from Mary Baldwin College and Wake Forest University. She taught English from 1971-1975 at ODU, was an administrator in the Career Management Center for 25 years, before moving back into the English Department as a faculty member since 2005. Smith loves teaching English and is very passionate about American Literature.
SCOREBOARD
ODU: 7 ECU: 0
Doubles Competition
1. Holly Hutchinson/Nataliia Vlasova (ODU) def. Celia Ruiz/Lisa Hofbauer (ECU-W) 6-3
2. Maria Gomez/Nastja Rettich (ECU-W) def. Ingird Vojcinakova/Natalya Malenko (ODU) 6-4
3. Borislava Botusharov/Marijana Novakovic (ODU) def. Michelle Castro/Maria Storozheva (ECU-W) 6-3
Singles Competition
1. #89 Borislava Botusharov (ODU) def. Celia Ruiz (ECU) 7-5, 6-2
2. #57 Holly Hutchinson (ODU) def. Lisa Hofbauer (ECU) 7-6, 6-4
3. Ingird Vojcinakova (ODU) def. Nastja Rettich (ECU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Adriana Rajkovic (ODU) def. Michelle Castro (ECU) 6-4, 6-1
5. Nataliia Vlasova (ODU) def. Maria Storozheva (ECU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Eliska Petrackova (ODU) def. Annija Veinsteina (ECU) 6-2, 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,4,1,3,6,2)
For a complete look at the ITA Singles, Doubles and Team Rankings, please CLICK HERE.
Meet Virginia:
The University of Virginia has seen its most successful period under Mark Guilbeau since his hire in 2005. Coach Guilbeau has led the Cavaliers to ten NCAA tournaments in his time at Virginia, reaching as far as the Elite Eight last season. In addition, the Cavaliers have also produced a two-time NCAA Singles Champion Danielle Collins, who graduated after winning the singles title last season.
The Virginia Cavaliers have started the season 2-3 with wins against Boston College and Syracuse. Virginia lost matches to Ole Miss, Wake Forest and South Carolina. Virginia started its season with a win against Boston College, 4-3. The Cavaliers then hosted a regional in the ITA Kickoff Weekend where they went 0-2, the losses came against Ole Miss by a score of 4-3 and Wake Forest, 4-0. Virginia beat Syracuse 6-1 before falling to South Carolina, 4-1. The Cavaliers will play their first two matches away from Charlottesville this season, the first coming against the University of Pennsylvania before facing off against Old Dominion later that night.
Junior Cassie Mercer has started the season at 3-2 with two wins coming against ranked opponents in the No. 1 singles match. Freshman Rosie Johanson, who was ranked at No. 79 in the preseason poll, has fell out of the latest rankings after starting the season 1-3.
Meet Penn:
The University of Pennsylvania has started the season 1-2, with its only win coming against Temple. Penn started the season with losses to Georgia Tech and Kentucky, both coming during the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Quakers fell to Georgia Tech and Kentucky 4-0 in both matches. In their win, the Quakers beat Temple 6-1, only dropping the No. 6 singles match. Penn will take on Virginia on Saturday before their match against the Lady Monarchs on Sunday.
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