NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women’s tennis head coach Dominic Manilla announced the addition of Oleksandra Andrieieva (Odessa, Ukraine) and Brooke Pilkington (Virginia Beach, Va.) on Friday afternoon.
“Oleksandra and Brooke are excellent additions to an already strong returning ODU squad,” said Manilla. “Both players should make an immediate impact on the lineup and I am looking forward to their arrival on campus.”
MEET OLEKSANDRA ANDRIEIEVA
- Reached highest Junior ITF ranking of 49
- Participated in 2017 Australian Open Junior Tournament
- Career high 11.68 UTR
- Five-time International Junior ITF Singles Tournament Champion
- Four-time International Junior ITF Singles Tournament Finalist
- Two-time Doubles ITF Junior Circuit Tournament Champion
- Won the Moldova Open with current Monarch Yulia Starodubtseva
- Held the title of “Master of Sport in Ukraine” since age 14
- Competed in the ITF pro circuit events and reached a WTA ranking of 853
- Sister Taisya plays college tennis at San Francisco Academy of the Arts
- Current Monarch Nataliia Vlasova and former Monarch Nika Khomolovska both came to Norfolk from Odessa, Ukraine
Manilla on Andrieieva:
“Oleksandra is amongst the highest profile recruits we have signed since Toni and I started at ODU. Her international experience, competing in junior grand slam events and achieving a top 50 ITF world junior ranking is impressive. We spent a lot of time getting to know Oleksandra over the past several months and on her official visit it was clear she was a natural fit with our program. Oleksandra will not only be a great player for ODU but a great teammate.”
MEET BROOKE PILKINGTON
Pilkington spent her first two seasons at Delaware, before transferring to ODU. She will be a junior for the 2018-19 season.
2017-18 Season (at Delaware)
- Went 15-3 playing No. 1 singles for the Blue Hens
- Went 30-6 in two seasons while playing the No. 1 singles slot
2016-17 Season (at Delaware)
- CAA Rookie of the Year
- CAA Singles First Team
- ITA Atlantic Region Singles (Round of 32) & Doubles (Round of 32) Participant
- CAA Academic Honor Roll
- Ranked fourth in all-time season singles wins with a record of 24-9
High School
- Attended Cape Henry Collegiate School
- Four-time Virginia State Champion
- Three-time State Player of the Year
- Three-time Conference Player of the Year
- First student-athlete in school history to earn State Player of the Year accolades
- Posted an overall No. 1 singles mark of 86-4 at CHCS
Manilla on Pilkington:
“Brooke has had a huge impact on the region the past two seasons. I am confident that she will be named to the CAA First Team for the second year in a row. When Brooke contacted us with her release she expressed her desire to become the best she could be. She felt that ODU could help her better achieve her goals on the court. It's exciting to have a player with local roots of her caliber joining the ODU family. Toni and I are excited to get to work with Brooke.”
“Next year will be another exciting season for Old Dominion women's tennis,” concluded Manilla.