DURHAM, N.C. – No. 29 Old Dominion blanked No. 36 Furman, 5-0, in the opening round of the NCAA Championships on Friday at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham, N.C.
The Monarchs won two of three doubles matches to claim point one. Yuliia Starodubtseva and Tatsiana Sasnouskaya, who rank eighth nationally, defeated 34th-ranked senior Julia Adams and sophomore Ellie Schoppe, 6-2, at flight one, and Paladin freshmen Sara Snyder and Jess Dawson beat Alexandra Viktorovich and Sofia Johnson, 6-3, at flight three to even the slate. In the decisive flight two contest, Alesya Yakubovich and Shahar Biran overcame a 5-3 deficit to win, 7-5, over junior Madison Dillon and freshman Ellie Schulson for the point.
In singles, Old Dominion scored four points for the victory. No. 18 Starodubtseva topped 38th-ranked Adams, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1, and 110th-ranked Sasnouskaya downed Schoppe, 6-3, 6-1, at flight two. At No. 3, Marina Alcaide posted a 6-2, 6-2 advantage versus Dillon, and at No. 5, Yakubovich recorded a 6-1, 6-3, win over Schulson.
Matches at flights four and six were unfinished. Furman’s Snyder won the first set, 6-2, at flight four, and Johnson led set two, 5-3. At flight six, Biran took the first set, 6-4, but Dawson led, 5-3, in the second set.
Furman (21-7) claimed the Southern Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by capturing its 21st SoCon Championship and made its 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament.
#29 Old Dominion 5, #36 Furman 0
Singles competition
1. #18 Yuliia Starodubtseva (ODU) def. #38 Julia Adams (FUR) 6-2, 6-3
2. #110 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. Ellie Schoppe (FUR) 6-3, 6-1
3. Marina Alcaide (ODU) def. Madison Dillon (FUR) 6-2, 6-2
4. Sofia Johnson (ODU) vs. Sara Snyder (FUR) 2-6, 5-3, unfinished
5. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) def. Ellie Schulson (FUR) 6-1, 6-3
6. Shahar Biran (ODU) vs. Jess Dawson (FUR) 6-4, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #8 Yuliia Starodubtseva/Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. #34 Julia Adams/Ellie Schoppe (FUR) 6-2
2. Alesya Yakubovich/Shahar Biran (ODU) def. Madison Dillon/Ellie Schulson (FUR) 7-5
3. Sara Snyder/Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Alexandra Viktorovich/Sofia Johnson (ODU) 6-3
Match Notes: Furman 21-7; National ranking #36 • Old Dominion 21-6; National ranking #29
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,3,1,5)
T-2:35 A-80