NORFOLK, Va. – This weekend Old Dominion’s men’s tennis team (5-3) is scheduled to take on three opponents at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. The first match, which will be played Friday Feb. 16 at 1:00 p.m. will be against undefeated N.C. State (6-0). The Monarchs will be back in action on Sunday Feb. 18 starting at 10:00 a.m., when they host a double-header against Richmond (4-4) and Howard (0-4) respectively.
ODU will look to bounce back after losing at home for the first time this season last week against No. 25 ranked South Carolina. Prior to that match, the Monarchs had won all three of their home matches this season, giving them a 3-1 record at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. Admission to all home ODU matches is FREE.
Inside the Numbers for ODU
The Monarchs have an overall singles record of 28-17 and a doubles record of 15-8. Below is a recap of the success ODU has already had so far this season.
Singles
Aziz Kijametovic: 7-1 (ranked No. 76 nationally)
Jannik Giesse: 5-1
Francois Musitelli: 5-2
Vincent Schneider: 4-3
Javier Jover Maestre: 2-2
Jacob Nicolussi: 2-2
Doubles
Aziz Kijametovic/Francois Musitelli: 4-3 (ranked No. 30 nationally)
Javier Jover Maestre/Adam Moundir: 4-1
Jannik Giesse/Vincent Schneider: 3-2
Jannik Giesse/Francois Musitelli: 1-0
Adam Moundir/Jacob Nicolussi: 1-0
Jacob Nicolussi/Michael Weindl: 1-1
Jacob Nicolussi/Vincent Schneider: 1-1
Monarch Spotlight
Last week, No. 76 nationally ranked Aziz Kijametovic picked up his second C-USA Athlete of the Week Award. Kijametovic, who is in the midst of his junior year with the Monarchs, is the only player to have won the award twice already this season. He leads the Monarchs in singles wins with seven and with Francios Musitelli to make up the No. 30 nationally ranked doubles tandem in the country. Kijametovic and Musitelli are tied with Adam Moundir and Javier Jover Maestre for the team lead in doubles wins with four.
Meet N.C. State
N.C. State men’s tennis program is in their first year under new Head Coach Kyle Spencer. Prior to joining the Wolfpack, Spencer coached four full seasons at SMU where he compiled a 64-43 record and coached his team to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017. So far this season, Spencer has the Wolfpack off to an impressive 6-0 start. Of those six wins, four have come at home and two have come on the road. N.C. State is also home to a former Second-Team All-ACC selection in No. 19 nationally ranked singles player Alexis Galarneau, as well as the No. 58 nationally ranked doubles tandem in Galarneau and partner Michael Ogden.
Meet Richmond
This season, in their first year with new Head Coach Houston Barrick at the helm, the Spiders are off to a 4-4 start. Richmond seems to have started to find a rhythm over the past few weeks, winning three of their last four matches. Of those three wins, one was over a conference foe in St. Bonaventure by a 7-0 score. Their only loss in those four matches came at the hands of Virginia Tech who have started the season red hot (7-1). The Spiders are set to take on James Madison this Friday before traveling to Norfolk on Sunday for a match with ODU.
Meet Howard
Howard enters their 34th year under head coach Larry Strickland. Strickland is an 11-time MEAC Coach of the Year Award winner and has coached over 70 ITA Scholar All-Americans during his tenure with the team. So far this season, Strickland has the Bison’s men’s tennis team is off to an 0-4 start. They are scheduled to face Mount St. Mary’s (MD.) this Saturday before heading to ODU this Sunday for a match at 2:00p.m. EST.
Looking Ahead for ODU
Following their match against Harvard, ODU will begin preparing to travel to Boston this Friday for a match against Harvard (7-1). The Monarchs will be back in action two days later when they head to Hanover, N.H. for a match with currently undefeated Dartmouth (9-0). Old Dominion will then head home or a match against Utah on Friday, March 2, at 1:00 p.m. in the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. That will be the Monarchs last home match before the Spring Break Tournament begins on Friday, March 9.