MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 47th-ranked Old Dominion men's tennis team split their final two matches on Saturday at the Blue Gray Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama.
"A very tough, demanding and physical tournament. We were really struggling adjusting to outdoor conditions the first two matches and had our back against the wall in the last match. But the guys stepped up big time and showed a lot of heart. Very proud of them," said ODU Head Coach Dominik Mueller.
They resumed a match with Rice that started Friday night as ODU held a 1-0 lead after doubles. The 43rd-ranked duo of Jakob Cadonau and Cosme Rolland de Ravel scored a 6-4 win at No. 2 to clinch the point after Maxime Mareschal-Hay and Yanis Moundir won 6-2 at No. 3.
In singles, Rice got on the board with wins at No. 4 and 6 to take a 2-1 lead. ODU answered with a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 1 by Connor van Schalkwyk over Yasha Zemel. That was followed by a 6-2, 6-1 win by Rolland de Ravel at No. 3 for a 3-2 ODU advantage. The Owls claimed the win with wins at No. 5 and No. 2.
In a match that went over 3.5 hours, the Monarchs defeated 51st-ranked Boise State 4-2 in the final match of the tournament.
Similar to the match with Rice, the Monarchs claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Cadonau and Rolland de Ravel won 6-4 at No. 2 and Aryan Saleh teamed with Moundir for a 6-4 win at No. 3.
Singles saw the Monarchs gain wins at No. 1, 3 and 4 spots. Connor van Schalkwyk had his second win over a nationally-ranked opponent as he defeated 43rd-ranked Sim Sippel 6-4, 7-5 at the top spot. Rolland de Ravel took a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3, while Moundir recorded a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4 for the clinching point.
ODU is now off for nearly two weeks before heading to Liberty on March 8.
#64 Rice 4, #47 ODU 3
Doubles
Codie van Schalkwyk/Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU) v. Kabeer Kapasi/Yasha Zemel (Rice) 6-6 UF
Jakob Cadonau/Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU) def. Trinity Grear/Petro Kuzmenok (Rice) 6-4
Maxime Mareschal-Hay/Yanis Moundir (ODU) def. A. de la Bassetiere/Eduardo Morais (Rice) 6-2
Singles
Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU) def. Yasha Zemel (Rice) 7-5, 6-3
Trinity Grear (Rice) def. Codie van Schalkwyk (ODU) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU) def. A. de la Bassetiere 6-2, 6-1
Emor Sendogan (Rice) def. Yanis Moundir (ODU) 6-2, 6-2
Petro Kuzmenok (Rice) def. Aryan Saleh (ODU) 6-3, 6-4
Kabeer Kapasi (Rice) def. Jakob Cadonau (ODU) 6-0, 6-4
Records: ODU 9-3, Rice 6-5
#47 Old Dominion 4, #51 Boise State 2
Doubles competition
1. Sam Sippel/Jip van Assendelft (BSU) def. #16 Codie van Schalkwyk/Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU-M) 6-3
2. #43 Jakob Cadonau/CosmeRolland DeRavel (ODU-M) def. Jan Lucca Marquardt/Caden Moortgat (BSU) 6-4
3. Yanis Moundir/Aryan Saleh (ODU-M) def. Jett Middleton/James Van Herzeele (BSU) 6-4
Singles competition
1. #80 Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU-M) def. #43 Sam Sippel (BSU) 6-4, 7-5
2. Codie van Schalkwyk (ODU-M) vs. Jip van Assendelft (BSU) 6-4, 6-7, 4-3, unfinished
3. CosmeRolland DeRavel (ODU-M) def. Jan Lucca Marquardt (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Yanis Moundir (ODU-M) def. James Van Herzeele (BSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Jett Middleton (BSU) def. Aryan Saleh (ODU-M) 6-3, 6-3
6. Idriss Haddouch (BSU) def. Jakob Cadonau (ODU-M) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6
Match Notes:
Boise State 6-7; National ranking #51
Old Dominion 10-3; National ranking #47
Men's Tennis Split Final Day At Blue-Gray Tournament
Connor van Schalkwyk