Yana Sokolenko

Coach Sokolenko completed her fifth season at Old Dominion in 2022-23 and has compiled an impressive 81-29 dual match record over the past five spring seasons.
 
In 2022-23, the Monarchs begin play in the Sun Belt Conference where ODU went undefeated in its first regular season action winning all 10 matches. ODU ended the year winners of 13 of its last 14 matches, including a Sun Belt Conference Tournament title with a 4-0 win over James Madison and a win in the first round of NCAA Tournament over South Carolina 4-2. ODU played its usual challenging non-conference schedule facing Penn State, Ohio State, Columbia, Wake Forest twice, Iowa State, Florida State, Princeton and Kansas. Tatsiana Sasnouskaya earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors and was joined on the first team All-Conference squad by Sofia Johnson. She also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In doubles, Sasnouskaya and Johnson were first team All-Conference honorees and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 
 
In 2021-22, the Monarchs concluded their time in Conference USA by capturing their second straight C-USA Tournament crown with a thrilling 4-3 win over Charlotte. Old Dominion swept the tournament honors winning Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship and the Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship. The Monarchs finished a perfect 12-0 at home and ran their home court winning streak to 37 in a row.  ODU won the ITA Kickoff Weekend Atlanta Regional advancing to the ITA Indoor Nationals where they recorded a win over Wisconsin. In the Atlanta Regional, they defeated 12th-ranked Georgia Tech and Ole Miss by 4-3 scores to advance. They finished the year with Yuliia Starodubtseva ranked 18th in singles, Alexandra Viktorovich 104th, Tatsiana Sasnouskaya 108th and the doubles team of Starodubtseva and Sasnouskaya ranked seventh. The Monarchs recorded a win in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year and had Starodubtseva represent the school at the NCAA Singles Championships, while her and Sasnouskaya represented ODU in the doubles tournament.


In 2020-21, Sokolenko helped lead the Monarchs to its second ever conference championship and first in 20 years. 2021 marked the Monarchs first time winning the Conference USA title. The 2021 NCAA Tournament appearance was the third in program history, as ODU picked up its first team win in program history in the NCAA Tournament after taking down No. 33 Arkansas by a 4-2 score in the First Round. The 2020-21 season marked the first time since 2010-11, that the program has had back-to-back conference players of the year. Starodubtseva delivered ODU's first win in the NCAA Singles Tournament for the program since 2004.


In 2019-20, the team finished with a No. 24 national ranking, while Yulia Starodubtseva and Alesya Yakubovich ended the year as the No. 7 ranked doubles tandem in the country, which is the highest doubles ranking in program history. In the fall of 2019, Starodubtseva/Yakubovich won the ITA Atlantic Region Doubles Championship, ultimately advancing all the way to the Final Four of the Fall National Championships.


In her first season at ODU in 2018-19, Sokolenko helped the program to its highest ever ranking of No. 19 in the ITA National Rankings, while earning the program’s very first at large bid to the NCAA tournament.
 
On Dec. 6, 2018, ODU Women’s Tennis Head Coach, Dominic Manilla, named Yana Sokolenko as the Associate Head Coach.
 
Sokolenko spent three seasons as the Miami of Ohio Head Coach, where she led the RedHawks to back-to-back regular season MAC titles in 2015 and 2016, as well as won the MAC Tournament in 2015, punching a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Prior to coaching at Miami of Ohio, Sokolenko spent a total of seven years as the Associate Head Coach at VCU. She won the 2006-07 NCAA Division I East Region Assistant Coach of the Year Award, after helping steer the Rams to the best season in school history, finishing No. 12 in the national rankings after advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
 
In 2006, 2010 and 2012, the Rams won CAA conference titles. In 2013 and 2014, they won Atlantic 10 conference championships.
 
In all, Sokolenko has helped lead her respective teams to 14 NCAA Tournaments (’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, '19, '21, '22, '23).
 
Prior to her coaching career, she played tennis at VCU from 1999-2002, where she was instrumental in the Rams advancing to the 2002 NCAA Quarterfinals. While in Richmond, she was an All-American Scholar Athlete (2000) and Dean’s List recipient (1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003). Sokolenko received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science (3.7 GPA) in December of 2001 and then earned her Masters of Arts degree in Economics (3.9 GPA) in May of 2005.
 
On a professional level, Sokolenko was ranked as high as No. 529 in the world (WTA Tour). In 1996-97, she was a member of the Belarus National Fed Team.
 
Sokolenko also spent a year managing her own small tennis academy, Team GP, in Marbella, Spain.
 
Paul Kostin on Yana Sokolenko:
(Kostin has been named USPTA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year 12 times, has been chosen as the ITA Regional Coach of the Year four times and was one of eight finalists for the ITA's National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1997. He was named the 2000 National College Coach of the Year by the USPTA and was named conference Coach of the Year 14 times. He has compiled a 1,155-423 record in 37 seasons at VCU and Arkansas-Little Rock, and has guided his teams to 41 conference titles and 37 NCAA Tournament appearances.) 
“First of all, she the greatest! Not only as a coach, but also as a teacher, recruiter, leader and person who can motivate, push and encourage players, so they can reach their highest potential. I also need to say that she is great when dealing with not only the players, but also parents and administrators.”
“In conclusion, she was instrumental to the success that VCU women’s tennis had as long as she was here and when she was running the show. ODU, you are lucky to have her; and believe me, she will make everybody happy!”
“I’m excited to work with Coach Sokolenko,” said Manilla. “Her previous experience as a head coach and her renowned reputation as a tenacious recruiter will immediately add value to our already strong program.”