NORFOLK, Va. – The 45th ranked Old Dominion men's tennis team will host a pair of matchups this weekend at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, including a nationally-ranked contest to start.
On Saturday, the Monarchs will tangle with 60th-ranked Furman at 1 p.m. The next day will be an in-state matchup as the Hokies of Virginia Tech come to town for an 11 a.m. match.
ODU (4-4) played its last seven matches on the road after a season-opening win over Penn State. The Monarchs finished that stretch with a pair of matches in-state as they defeated William & Mary 4-1 and lost to Liberty 5-2.
Codie van Schalkwyk leads the team in singles wins this spring with a 5-3 record, while Luca Maldoner has four wins and the tandem of Francois Le Tallec and Oliver Nolan have three each. Le Tallec is currently ranked 60th in singles with the latest rankings being released on Thursday.
Furman (7-1) has won seven in a row after a season-opening loss to Clemson. The Paladins last played on February 19 defeating Lipscomb and then Belmont Abbey 6-1.
Jamie Connel leads Furman this spring with a 7-1 record in singles, while Elijah Poritzky is 5-2. Three teammates are tied with four wins apiece in singles play.
Virginia Tech (4-6) hasn't played since a 4-3 loss at Vanderbilt on Feb. 13. The Hokies had won four in a row against Chattanooga, Hampton, Davidson and Richmond before a swing to Tennessee where they lost to Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Ryan Fishback leads the Hokies in the spring with a sparkling 8-2 singles record. Alex Ix, Alberto Oroso and Alvaro Saez-Royuela Ariza are all at 5-4 in singles play thus far.
ODU HEAD COACH DOMINIK MUELLER ON WEEKEND MATCHUPS
"Hosting a ranked matchup is always exciting and Furman is a very strong team which will provide us many challenges."
"To follow that matchup with hosting another Power Five school demonstrates the status of our program. We lost a 4-3 decision to them last year in Blacksburg, so we know it will be another close match."
No. 45 Men's Tennis Hosts Pair Of Weekend Matches
