ROME, Ga. – In a battle of nationally-ranked teams on Saturday afternoon, the 66th-ranked Old Dominion Monarchs advanced to the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 4-0 win over 74th-ranked South Alabama.
ODU (16-5) will face App State on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the league crown. Seventh-seeded App State defeated third-seeded Troy 4-1 in the other semifinal. A win for the Monarchs will be their fourth straight league crown and second straight Sun Belt title after winning the last two in Conference USA.
"There is no where else in the world we would rather be than right here in Rome, Georgia fighting to bring a trophy to the 757 and Monarch Nation," said ODU Head Coach Dominic Manilla.
The Monarchs took the doubles point behind wins from the top two spots for the second straight day. Sofia Johnson and Lidiia Rasskouskaia defeated Tereza Dejnozkova and Elysia Pool 6-1 at No. 1, followed by a win from Ulyana Romanova and Alexandra Viktorovitch over Manal Ennaciri and Nikola Novotna 6-2 at No. 2.
In singles, Rasskouskaia got the first win again with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ennaciri at No. 4 for a 2-0 lead. Viktorovitch followed with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Dejnnozkova at No. 2 for a 3-0 advantage. Kira Matushkina got the final point as she defeated Chems Doha Zeghlouli 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5 for the 4-0 win.
ODU and App State played on April 20 to close out the regular season with ODU taking a 6-1 win at App State.
Tennis Match Results
South Alabama vs Old Dominion
4/27/2024 at Rome, Ga.
(Rome Tennis Center)
#66 Old Dominion 4, #74 South Alabama 0
Singles competition
1. #118 Sofia Johnson (ODU-W) vs. Elysia Pool (USA) 2-6, 6-3, unfinished
2. AlexandraViktorovich (ODU-W) def. Tereza Dejnozkova (USA) 6-2, 6-3
3. Allison Isaacs (ODU-W) vs. Nikola Novotna (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 1-1, unfinished
4. Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) def. Manal Ennaciri (USA) 6-3, 6-3
5. Kira Matushkina (ODU-W) def. Chems Doha Zeghlouli (USA) 6-3, 6-3
6. Ulyana Romanova (ODU-W) vs. Delien Kleinhans (USA) 0-6, 6-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Sofia Johnson/Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) def. Tereza Dejnozkova/Elysia Pool (USA) 6-1
2. Ulyana Romanova/AlexandraViktorovich (ODU-W) def. Manal Ennaciri/Nikola Novotna (USA) 6-2
3. Allison Isaacs/Kira Matushkina (ODU-W) vs. Chems Doha Zeghlouli/Lara van der Merwe (USA) 2-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
South Alabama 16-5; National ranking #74
Old Dominion 16-5; National ranking #66
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,2,5)
Women's Tennis Advances To Sun Belt Finals With 4-0 Win Over South Alabama
