The No. 63-ranked and top-seeded Georgia Southern men's tennis team fell in the 2024 Sun Belt Championship match to second-seeded and No. 56-ranked Old Dominion, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon on the indoor courts of the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
The Eagles, playing in their first Sun Belt tournament title match in program history, end their historic season at 15-9. ODU (20-7) advances to the NCAA Championships with the Sun Belt's automatic bid and also avenges a 4-3 loss to the Eagles suffered earlier this season in Statesboro.
Georgia Southern got off to a good start in the match by claiming the doubles point from the Monarchs. Aaron James Williams and Laurent Julia Calac defeated Yanis Moundir and Maxime Mareschal-Hay, 6-3, at No. 3 doubles, then Pol del Castillo and Dimitris Paliouras downed Connor van Schalkwyk and Jakob Cadonau, 6-4, at No. 1 doubles for the 1-0 lead.
The Monarchs came out strong in singles, however, claiming four of the first six first sets. ODU then took straight-set wins at No. 5 and No. 4 singles, with every other match going to a third set. The Monarchs claimed the crown with three-set wins at No. 2 and No. 6 singles.
Georgia Southern's No. 63 ranking by the ITA is the highest ranking in the program's history. In addition to earning a Sun Belt regular season championship, the Eagles also experienced their first ranked wins since 1980 and their first win in a fully ranked matchup in Wallis Tennis Center history.
"First off, congrats to ODU on a great year, they've been at the top of the conference since they joined and they do a great job with their program," Georgia Southern head men's tennis coach Andrew Goodwin said. "I couldn't be prouder of my guys and the fight they showed, today and every day that I've been here with them. The growth, the toughness and the resiliency that grew in this team from this past August is incredible and so many great things happened this year because of the guys' willingness to buy in to those values. We're now in a better spot because of it. The future is bright for our program and we can't thank Eagle Nation enough for their love and support this season."
RESULTS
Singles
1. Cosme Rolland de Ravel (ODU) led Dimitris Paliouras (GS) 6-0. 3-6, 5-2, unfinished
2. Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU) def. Pol del Castillo (GS) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Aaron James Williams (GS) led Yanis Moundir (ODU) 7-5, 4-6, 4-3, unfinished
4. Codie van Schalkwyk (ODU) def. Pierre Mouesca (GS) 7-6 (4), 6-4
5. Maxime Mareschal-Hay (ODU) def. Judson Blair (GS) 6-3, 6-0
6. Aryan Saleh (ODU) def. Laurent Julia Calac (GS) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. Pol del Castillo/Dimitris Paliouras (GS) def. Connor van Schalkwyk/Jakob Cadonau (ODU) 6-4
2. Cosme Rolland de Ravel/Codie van Schalkwyk (ODU) def. Judson Blair/Pierre Mouesca (GS) 6-0
3. Aaron James Williams/Laurent Julia Calac (GS) def. Yanis Moundir/Maxime Mareschal-Hay (ODU) 6-3
