RALEIGH, N.C. – A thrilling 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 win for Sofia Johnson over 19th-ranked Sarah Hamner allowed the 62nd-ranked Old Dominion Monarchs to knock off the 19th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks 4-3 on Saturday in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
With the win, ODU (18-5) advances to face 14th-ranked N.C. State at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the regional final. The Wolfpack defeated South Carolina State 4-0 in the other first round match Saturday. The win for ODU is the fourth in a row in first round NCAA Tournament play.
Johnson, ranked 116th nationally, trailed 4-1 in the first set and rallied back to force the tiebreaker she won 7-4. In the second set, she got a break of serve down 4-5 to even the match but fell in that tiebreaker 7-4. Johnson then ripped off five straight games in the decisive set to help lock up the win.
“Our team came to play today. We prepared all week. We competed in our preparation for this match, and I am confident in saying that we were well prepared for this test. Our players rose to the occasion and I'm proud. Winning rounds is hard. We have been here before and we want the win tomorrow,” said ODU Head Coach Dominic Manilla.
South Carolina took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 (6-0) and No. 3 (6-4). ODU had trailed 4-1 at No. 1 facing the 28th-ranked duo of Ayana Akil and Sarah Hamner, but Sofia Johnson and Lidiia Rasskouskaia ripped off three games to get back even and the match was abandoned at 5-5.
Rasskouskaia got ODU on the board with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Elise Mills at No. 4 to even the match. South Carolina regained the lead with a win at No. 2, but Kira Matushkina followed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Misa Malkin at No. 5 to level the match at 2-2.
The Gamecocks won at No. 3 to regain the advantage, but Ulyana Romanova got the Monarchs all square with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Olympe Lancelot to bring it to the deciding match.
ODU is now one of two non-Power Five schools to win a match in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Pepperdine is the other school to have a win in the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Tournaments.
The win was also the second in a row against South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament where the clinching match was an ODU win over a top 20-ranked opponent. Tatsiana Sasnouskaya defeated 12th-ranked Akli to lock up a 4-2 win over 31st-ranked South Carolina in 2023 and was joined Saturday by Johnson’s win over 19th-ranked Hamner.
Tennis Match Results
Old Dominion vs South Carolina
05/04/2024 at Raleigh, N.C.
(J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center)
#62 Old Dominion 4, #19 South Carolina 3
Singles competition
1. #116 Sofia Johnson (ODU-W) def. #19 Sarah Hamner (SC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2
2. #11 Ayana Akli (SC) def. AlexandraViktorovich (ODU-W) 6-1, 6-1
3. Shahar Biran (SC) def. Allison Isaacs (ODU-W) 6-2, 7-5
4. Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) def. Elise Mills (SC) 6-0, 6-3
5. Kira Matushkina (ODU-W) def. Misa Malkin (SC) 6-1, 6-4
6. Ulyana Romanova (ODU-W) def. Olympe Lancelot (SC) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #28 Ayana Akli/Sarah Hamner (SC) vs. Sofia Johnson/Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) 5-5, unfinished
2. Misa Malkin/Elise Mills (SC) def. AlexandraViktorovich/Ulyana Romanova (ODU-W) 6-0
3. Shahar Biran/Olympe Lancelot (SC) def. Kira Matushkina/Allison Isaacs (ODU-W) 6-4
Match Notes:
Old Dominion 18-5; National ranking #62
South Carolina 17-8; National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,2,5,3,6,1)
Match 1- NCAA Regional
Match was played outdoors
T-3:18