CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 29 nationally ranked Old Dominion women's tennis picked up its first win in program history in the NCAA Tournament after taking down No. 33 Arkansas by a 4-2 score in the first round on Friday morning inside of the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. ODU has now won 11 straight matches, while outscoring its opponents 55-13 during the win streak.
"This match was a rollercoaster," said ODU head coach Dominic Manilla. "We were prepared for the situation after dropping the doubles point, I thought all six of our singles players stepped up. This was a fantastic team effort. We were one of the best teams in the country today."
Brooke Pilkington/Alexandra Viktorovich defeated Kelly Keller/Jackie Carr 7-5; but the Monarchs fell in No. 1 and 2 doubles, as the Razorbacks (11-11) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.
No. 78 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya tied the match at 1-1 after taking down Tatum Rice (6-3, 6-3). Alesya Yakubovich gave the Monarchs their first lead of the day, 2-1, after picking up a straight set win over Morgan Cross (6-1, 6-3).
Pilkington proved to be too much for Lauren Alter (6-4, 6-4), extending Old Dominion's lead to 3-1. Fellow senior No. 109 Holly Hutchinson sealed the deal on the victory with a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 win over No. 45 Indianna Spink.
Old Dominion (13-4) will be right back in action tomorrow, Saturday, May 8 when the Monarchs take on No. 1 nationally ranked North Carolina. Tomorrow's match against UNC in Chapel Hill will start at 4 p.m. EST.
"The tournament goes through the number one team in the country North Carolina," concluded Manilla.
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Tennis Match Results
Arkansas vs Old Dominion
May 07, 2021 at Chapel Hill, N.C.
(Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
#29 Old Dominion 4, #33 Arkansas 2
Singles competition
1. #109 Holly Hutchinson (ODU) def. #45 Indianna Spink (AR) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
2. Kelly Keller (AR) def. #51 Yulia Starodubtseva (ODU) 6-4, 6-4
3. #78 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. Tatum Rice (AR) 6-3, 6-3
4. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) def. Morgan Cross (AR) 6-1, 6-3
5. Brooke Pilkington (ODU) def. Lauren Alter (AR) 6-4, 6-4
6. Alexandra Viktorovich (ODU) vs. Laura Rijkers (AR) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #36 Morgan Cross/Tatum Rice (AR) def. Yulia Starodubtseva/Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) 6-4
2. Lauren Alter/Indianna Spink (AR) def. #71 Holly Hutchinson/Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Brooke Pilkington/Alexandra Viktorovich (ODU) def. Kelly Keller/Jackie Carr (AR) 7-5
Match Notes:
Arkansas 11-11; National ranking #33
Old Dominion 13-4; National ranking #29
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,4,5,2,1)
NCAA Championship First Round
T-2:45
A-25
No. 29 ODU Wins First Ever Match in NCAA Tournament, Downs No. 33 Arkansas 4-2
Dominic Manilla and Alesya Yakubovich