NEW ORLEANS – Old Dominion’s Connor van Schalkwyk and App State’s Taya Powell each went undefeated in league action to earn Sun Belt Conference Tennis Players of the Week honors.
Men’s Tennis Player of the Week
Connor van Schalkwyk, Old Dominion
(Fr. | Windhoek, Namibia)
Old Dominion freshman Connor Van Schalkwyk went 2-0 in singles and 1-0 in doubles as ODU won a pair of home matches. On Friday, in singles he defeated 71st-ranked Mario Martinez 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to put the first loss this spring on Martinez who entered 16-0. In doubles, he and Jakob Cadonau clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 win at No. 1 over Nicolas Simkin and Noah Martens. On Friday, his doubles match was unfinished against South Alabama. In singles, he defeated Jack Clements 6-4, 7-5 for the first point in a 4-0 ODU win over the Jaguars in a rematch of last year's Sun Belt Tournament final.
Women’s Tennis Player of the Week
Taya Powell, App State
(Fr. | North Tamworth)
App State freshman Taya Powell remained unbeaten on the year in league action, as she went 3-0 over the weekend in App State’s home Sun Belt Conference openers. Powell picked up her sixth career win over Georgia State’s Alba Retorillo Soiras in a 6-3, 7-6 [7-5] straight-set win on singles Court 2 on Saturday. She continued her momentum into Sunday as her and her doubles partner, Maggie Pate, defeated Troy’s No. 1 tandem of Kristina Kukaras/Maria Guirguis 6-4. Powell then completed her undefeated weekend with a 6-4, 7-5 victory on Court 2 over Troy’s No. 2 singles player Maria Guirguis for her seventh win this season.
2024 Sun Belt Men’s Tennis Player of the Week
Week 1 – Baran Soyler, Georgia State
Week 2 – Cosme Rolland de Ravel, Old Dominion
Week 3 – Edward Tymes, Georgia State
Week 4 – Jack Clements, South Alabama
Week 5 – Connor van Schalkwyk, Old Dominion
Week 6 – Mario Martinez Serrano, Troy
Week 7 – Sacha Grandvincent, Louisiana
Week 8 – Aaron James Williams, Georgia Southern
Week 9 – Connor van Schalkwyk, Old Dominion
2024 Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Week
Week 1 – Sofia Johnson, Old Dominion
Week 2 – Sofia Johnson, Old Dominion
Week 3 – Allison Isaacs, Old Dominion
Week 4 – Savannah Dada-Mascoll, App State
Week 5 – Carla Urchoeguia, Louisiana
Week 6 – Gabrielle Leslie, Troy
Week 7 – Ulyana Romanova, Old Dominion
Week 8 – Savanna Dada-Mascoll, App State
Week 9 – Taya Powell, App State