NORFOLK, Va. – In the regular season finale, the Old Dominion men's tennis team fell to No. 41 nationally ranked VCU by a 4-1 score on Sunday afternoon outside of the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. Sunday marked Senior Day for Pearse Dolan, Tomislav Podvinski, Jannik Giesse and Francois Musitelli who were honored prior to the match.
"This felt like a 4-3 match from start to end," said ODU head coach Dominik Mueller. "Both teams played on a super high level and I'm proud of how we competed. I think we are playing our best tennis of the season and it's coming at the right time."
Younes Lalami and Francois Le Tallec won their doubles match by a 6-0 score. However, the Rams tandems won on courts one and two to claim the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead.
Lalami tied the score at 1-1 after taking down Quentin Coulaud in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. VCU went on to win the next four singles matches to secure the team win.
The Monarchs have claimed victory in six of their last eight matches, as well as 10 of their last 14 matches. In their last seven matches, the Monarchs have outscored their opponents 31-16.
Next up for Old Dominion will be the Conference USA Tournament held in Charlotte, N.C. from April 23-25.
Senior Salutes
Pearse Dolan joined the Monarchs after transferring from the University of Louisiana Lafayette, where he was a ranked doubles player. He is currently working on his MBA with a 3.9 GPA.
Tomislav Podvinski came to Old Dominion after graduating from Baylor University and winning a Big 12 championship. Podvinski is currently working on his master's in supply chain management. In 2020, he was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year.
Jannik Giesse was the first ever signee of the coach Mueller era and was a big part of the 2018 C-USA Championship team. Individually, Giesse has won the ITA Atlantic Regional doubles title and qualified for the ITA Fall Nationals. He was named the 2018 Most Outstanding Doubles Team of the C-USA Tournament. Giesse has helped lead ODU to 53 team victories and is majoring in leadership.
Francois Musitelli came to ODU from Grand Canyon University and graduated with a degree in sports management. He was a member of the 2018 C-USA Championship team and gathered several honors during his playing career. He was ranked in singles and doubles, winning the ITA Atlantic Regional twice in doubles, qualified for fall nationals three times and qualified for the NCAA doubles tournament. Musitelli was a Conference USA first team selection in singles and doubles.
Tennis Match Results
Old Dominion vs VCU
4-18-2021 at Norfolk, Va.
(Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center)
No. 41 VCU 4, Old Dominion 1
Singles Competition
1. Luca Maldoner (ODU) vs. #79 Lleyton Cronje (VCU) 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, unfinished
2. Charles Bertimon (VCU) def. Tomislav Podvinski (ODU) 5-7, 7-5, 6-0
3. Nicola Vidal (ODU) vs. Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) 7-6, 3-6, 3-3, unfinished
4. Rayane Stable (VCU) def. Francois Le Tallec (ODU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
5. Younes Lalami (ODU) def. Quentin Couland (VCU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Timo Zgraggen (VCU) def. Pearse Dolan (ODU) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. #66 Inigo Torre Martin/Rayane Stable (VCU) def. #52 Luca Maldoner/Nicola Vidal (ODU) 7-6
2. Quentin Coulaud/Charles Bertimon (VCU) def. Tomislav Podvinski/Pearse Dolan (ODU) 6-4
3. Younes Lalami/Francois Le Tallec (ODU) def. Lleyton Cronje/Timo Zgraggen (VCU) 6-0
Match Notes
Order of Finish:
Singles: 5, 6, 4, 2
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
Men’s Tennis Falls on Senior Day to VCU in Regular Season Finale, 4-1
