Facing Old Dominion Saturday, William and Mary was playing for more than just another win — the team wanted to send the senior class of Anton Andersson, Adrian Vodislav and Jamie Whitford off in style on their day of recognition. But the College (11-14, CAA 3-1) lost to ODU (14-6) 4-3, snapping a four-match winning streak.
“I give credit first of all to ODU,” head coach Peter Daub said after the match. “I felt like we were a step behind them.”
In doubles, Andersson and sophomore Aaron Chaffee started things off well for the Tribe in the No. 1 position. The duo snagged a decisive 8-2 victory over the No. 88 ranked tandem in the country, comprised of the Monarchs’ Carlos Lopez Villa and Can Cetinal. The victory marked the duo’s sixth straight victory for an overall record of 10-7.
The Monarchs, however, were able to bounce back and secure the doubles point with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. The College lost 8-4 at both positions.
“We didn’t serve especially well today in doubles,” Daub said. “And usually if you serve well, you win, and we didn’t.”
Entering singles, junior Ben Guthrie quickly responded with a victory at the No. 3 slot, dismantling Jonas Kuwert 6-1, 6-1. Guthrie improved to 11-8 on the season with the win.
But the Monarchs, once again, were able to answer the Tribe’s push. ODU’s Carlos Lopez-Villa defeated Chaffee 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 1 position.
Albert Ochagavia followed his teammate by dispatching sophomore Will Juggins 6-3, 6-2.
Down 3-1, the Tribe needed a strong comeback to overturn its nationally ranked opponent. Junior Ben Hoogland quickly answered the call.
Facing Zovnimir Podvinski in the No. 4 spot, Hoogland bounced back from an early-set loss to give the Tribe its second point of the day with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win, evening his season record at 16-16.
With the Tribe now in striking range, everything came down to Vodislav’s match at the No. 5 slot. But Vodislav was unable to make things happen, losing to Wesley Barret 6-3, 6-3. During the match Vodislav visibly lost his cool on a few occasions, tossing his tennis racket after losing important points.
Vodislav’s loss sealed the team’s fate for the match, despite junior John Bank’s 6-3, 6-2 victory in the No. 6 slot.
“[Vodislav] is an up-and-down player,” Daub said. “His loss in confidence in his serve seemed to have carried over to singles, and as much as we talked to him, nothing seemed to help him shake that.”
Daub and his squad will look for a more even performance across the board, especially from the team’s highest ranked players.
After a successful regular season, the Tribe will enter the conference tournament as the 2nd seed and will have a first round bye into the semifinals. The College will host the tournament at Millie West Tennis Facility this next weekend from Friday to Sunday.
