MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The 33rd-ranked Old Dominion women's tennis team advanced to the finals of the Conference USA Tournament with an impressive 4-0 win over 57th-ranked Rice on Saturday afternoon at the Adams Family Tennis Complex.
With the win, ODU (19-6) will move on to the finals to tangle with 51st-ranked Charlotte 49ers who defeated FIU 4-3. That match will be Sunday morning at 11 a.m. for the title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is a rematch of a 4-0 ODU win on Senior Day last Saturday.
The win by the Monarchs was the first time in five matches that ODU has defeated Rice. The Owls eliminated ODU twice in the tournament recently with wins in the 2018 semifinals and again in the 2019 finals.
In doubles, the Monarchs scored the team point with wins by the one and three spots in the lineup. The 10th-ranked duo of Yuliia Starodubtseva and Tatsiana Sasnouskaya recorded their third win over a nationally-ranked duo this spring with a 6-2 win over 16th-ranked Diae El Jardi and Maria Budin.
Alexandra Viktorovich and Sofia Johnson recorded the clinching victory with a 6-2 decision over Saara Orav and Federica Trevisan at the three spot for an early 1-0 ODU lead.
Singles saw the Monarchs open again like on Friday with a win at the top spot as 10th-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva scored a 6-2, 6-0 win over Victoria Smirnova to take a 2-0 advantage, while Alesya Yakubovich defeated Budin 6-2, 6-2 at number five for a 3-0 lead.
Sasnouskaya, ranked 123rd, got the match clinching win with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Trevisan at number two for the 4-0 final.
ODU HEAD COACH DOMINIC MANILLA ON THE RICE SEMIFINAL WIN
"It feels great to be in the finals again. We have worked very hard all year to earn a chance to compete for another championship. We are very excited and feeling confident going into the final and will leave it all out there for Monarch Nation to bring it home."
ODU 4, Rice 0
Singles
1. #17 Yuliia Starodubtseva (ODU) def. Victoria Smirnova (RICE) 6-2, 6-0
2. #123 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. Federica Trevisan (RICE) 6-4, 6-2
3. Marina Alcaide (ODU) vs. Allison Zipoli (RICE) 4-6, 1-4, unfinished
4. Sofia Johnson (ODU) vs. Anna Bowtell (RICE) 6-7 (5-7), 2-2, unfinished
5. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) def. Maria Budin (RICE) 6-2, 6-2
6. Shahar Biran (ODU) vs. Saara Orav (RICE) 3-6, 2-2, unfinished
Doubles
1. #10 Yuliia Starodubtseva/Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. #16 Diae El Jardi/Maria Budin (RICE) 6-2
2. Alesya Yakubovich/Shahar Biran (ODU) vs. Anastasia Smirnova/Allison Zipoli (RICE) 5-4, unfinished
3. AlexandraViktorovich/Sofia Johnson (ODU) def. Saara Orav/Federica Trevisan (RICE) 6-2
Match Notes:
4-seed Rice 15-8; National ranking #57; 1-seed Old Dominion 19-6; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,2)
Women's Tennis Advances To C-USA Final Sweeping Rice
