GREENSBORO, N.C.- The Guilford College women's tennis team is back in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament for the first time since the 2016 season, earning the No. 7 seed after a resurgent year under head coach
Kim Kleimeier '13. Their first-round opponent? A powerhouse No. 2 seed Averett University squad that finished near the top of the league standings. The match will take place at Averett Tennis Courts on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.
The Quakers (7-8, 5-5 ODAC) wrapped up a strong regular season, matching their win total from last year. Meanwhile, Averett (14-4, 9-1 ODAC) comes into the postseason riding serious helium, having dropped just one match during conference play. This will be the first time the two will face off this season.
This matchup marks a full-circle moment for Guilford, who's last ODAC Tournament appearance ended in a 5-0 loss to Randolph-Macon College in 2016. Now, the Quakers will look to pull off an upset and advance to the semifinals for the first time in nine years.
| Stats |
No. 2 Averett |
No. 7 Guilford |
| Record (Overall) |
14-4 |
7-11 |
| Record (ODAC) |
9-1 |
5-5 |
| Top Singles Player |
Ravaka Ramanantoanina (11-5, 6-1 ODAC) |
Ashley Belnap (6-9, 5-5 ODAC) |
| Top Doubles Team |
Brenda Poulakidas/Ravaka Ramanantoanina (11-1, 7-0 ODAC) |
|
Projected Singles Matchups:
| Position |
No. 2 Averett |
No. 7 Guilford |
| No. 1 |
Ravaka Ramanantoanina (11-5, 6-1 ODAC) |
Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.) (6-9, 5-5 ODAC) |
| No. 2 |
Siddhi Khandelwal (8-7, 5-1 ODAC) |
Erika Mendez (Asheville, N.C.) (10-6, 6-4 ODAC) |
| No. 3 |
Dilara Sultanova (7-4, 6-3 ODAC) |
Jolie Nhouyvanisvong (Greensboro, N.C.) (4-10, 3-6 ODAC) |
| No. 4 |
Harshri Asher (8-4, 4-1 ODAC) |
Chandler Sizemore (Sandy Ridge, N.C.) (6-7, 4-4 ODAC) |
| No. 5 |
Siddhi Khot (9-2, 4-0 ODAC) |
Amy Soto Salgado (Conover, N.C.) (8-7, 5-4 ODAC) |
| No. 6 |
Annika Kellerer (12-3, 7-1 ODAC) |
Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C.) (6-8, 4-5 ODAC) |
In their final tune-ups for the postseason, both teams picked up ODAC victories. Guilford narrowly held off Randolph-Macon, 4-3, with key singles wins from Mendez and Soto Salgado, while Averett steamrolled Randolph College 6-1 behind dominant performances at the middle of their lineup.
For Guilford, the key will be getting early momentum in doubles and relying on their experienced top three singles players, particularly Belnap and Mendez, to set the tone.
If the Quakers can pull off the upset, they would advance to the semifinals on Saturday, May 3, hosted at Washington and Lee University, where they would face the winner of No. 3 Sweet Briar College and No. 6 Randolph College.
#GoQuakes
