Old Dominion University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams learned their NCAA Tournament placements on April 30, gathering with officials and fans at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The ODU men, ranked 53rd nationally, will face Gardner-Webb in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The women, ranked 60th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, are set to play Tennessee in Durham.
Both programs have maintained a strong presence in postseason play. This marks the seventh consecutive NCAA appearance for the women and the fourth straight bid for the men. Their achievements were highlighted by a display of Sun Belt and Conference USA championship trophies during Monday’s event.
Dominic Manilla, head coach of ODU’s women’s team, said with a smile: “That’s a pretty impressive set of hardware.” Dr. Wood Selig, director of athletics at ODU who hired both Manilla and men’s coach Dominik Mueller, said: “We’ve got two of the best tennis coaches in the world… That’s why we’re on the current run that we’re on.”
Mueller is completing his tenth season as head coach for ODU men’s tennis. He was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 20-6 record this season. “Talent wise, no, this is not our best team,” Mueller said. “But culturally and emotionally, yes… these guys… just took it to another level.” Meanwhile Manilla has been recognized as conference Coach of the Year six times over seven years.
Players also spoke about their experiences under their coaches’ leadership. Senior Lidiia Rasskouskaia described Manilla as “more than a coach,” saying: “He’s someone we can go to at any time with any problem we might have.” Adam Majchrzak credited Mueller for helping him adapt after moving from Poland: “The thing that makes this program so good is consistency… We don’t have a lot of ups and downs.”
As both teams look ahead to challenging first-round matches—Gardner-Webb for men and Tennessee for women—Mueller concluded: “It’s about time that we take the next step and win a match.”
