NEW ORLEANS – The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Men's Tennis All-Conference awards were announced on Tuesday afternoon and Old Dominion earned five honors from the league coaches.
Dominik Mueller – Co-Coach of the Year
Head Coach Dominik Mueller was named Co-Coach of the Year along with South Alabama's Nick Brochu after both teams finished the year tied for first in league action. Mueller guided the Monarchs to a 15-9 overall record and 7-1 in league play and earned his 100th career dual match win against Louisiana. The Monarchs have had two nationally ranked players in singles and one doubles tandem this year, with Younes Lalami and Brandon Perez qualifying for ITA Fall Nationals in November. His Monarchs had a signature win this spring knocking off nationally-ranked Wisconsin from the Big Ten in January and have been ranked in every ITA poll this spring peaking at 52nd.
"I'm personally honored to receive this honor, but it really is a reflection of our team success. I have a ton of respect for Nick at South Alabama and honored that we can share this recognition together," said Mueller.
Jakob Cadonau – Newcomer Of The Year
A transfer from Ole Miss, Cadonau compiled a 13-7 record this spring and went 6-1 in Sun Belt Conference play in singles. On the doubles courts, he was 8-5 this spring and 3-1 in league action. He had wins over #17 Auburn, #42 UTSA and #52 SMU this spring. He went undefeated at four singles in conference play.
"I am super happy for and proud of Jakob. He transferred to us wanting a new start and I think this honor cements that he made the right decision. He worked hard the entire year and I'm happy that hard work is being recognized," Mueller said.
Francois Le Tallec – First Team All-Conference Singles
Cosme Rolland De Ravel – Second Team All-Conference Singles
After a slow start to the season, Le Tallec has come on strong during league play. He finished the spring regular season with a 12-8 record, including a 6-2 mark in conference play. Le Tallec has won eight of his last 10 matches including wins over nationally-ranked teams Wisconsin, Liberty and South Alabama.
Cosme Rolland De Ravel has had a stellar freshman season as he leads the team in overall wins with a 22-9 record, spring wins with a 14-6 mark and a team best 7-1 league ledger. He's 7-0 when playing at the two or three spots in the lineup and has wins over nationally-ranked VCU, UTSA and UPenn.
"Francois and Cosme have had amazing individual seasons and consistently put big points on the board for us. Together they have been a strong core in our lineup," Mueller said.
Brandon Perez and Younes Lalami – First Team All-Conference Doubles
This duo qualified for the ITA Fall Nationals after making a run to the semifinals in the Atlantic Regional with a win over Virginia and Virginia Tech. They're undefeated in league play and have a pair of nationally-ranked wins.
"Brandon and Younes went undefeated at the number one spot in conference play. That speaks for itself. They had a rough stretch early in the season but them turning it around also changed our entire teams doubles point. They set the tone for us to start a match," said Mueller.
Old Dominion, the second-seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament, will begin action on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. facing seventh-seeded James Madison. These teams met last Saturday with ODU taking a 5-2 win to clinch a share of the regular season title.
Men's Tennis Snags Five All-Conference Honors
