April 16, 2003

RICHMOND, VA -- The Old Dominion men's and women's tennis teams are preparing for their Friday quarterfinal matches at the CAA Championships to be held in Richmond, VA. Both the men and women are seeded third and begin play at 9:00 a.m. The Monarchs will face #6 Hofstra while the Lady Monarchs take on #6 Delaware.

The Lady Monarchs enter the tournament with a 9-11 overall record and 1-3 CAA mark, ranking #75 as a team in the latest ITA Poll. Old Dominion has won its last three games despite having to default the No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles matches due to injury to Maretha Van Niekerk. The squad will be led by #22 Nataly Cahana (Qiriat Bialik, Isreal). The junior has compiled a a 16-4 dual meet record and is 26-7 overall. She has been the highest ranked women's singles player all season long in the CAA. Highlights from her tournament play include appearances in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and in the semi-finals of the Cissie Leary Invite.

The Monarchs enter the tournament ranked #72 in the country with a 14-6 overall and a 2-2 mark in the CAA with a 5-0 win over Delaware and a 7-0 victory over George Mason. The squad is led by the #7 doubles team in the country of junior Zoltan Csanadi (Timisoara, Romania) and sophomore Izak van der Merwe (Kempton Park, South Africa). Together the duo has compiled a 21-4 overall mark and 7-2 dual meet record. The two captured the ITA Region II Championship as well at the Virginia Tournament Title. They also reached the finals of the ITA National Indoor Championships. Csanadi and van Der Merwe, who play at No. 1 and No. 2 singles respectively, has each registered 18-2 records in dual meets.

2003 CAA Women's Tennis Championship Schedule


First Round (Thursday, April 17 at Byrd Park)
#7 Towson vs. #10 Drexel - 11:00 a.m.
#8 George Mason vs. #9 Hofstra - 1:30 p.m.


Quarterfinals (Friday, April 18 at Byrd Park)
#3 Old Dominion vs. #6 Delaware - 9:00 a.m.
#2 Virginia Commonwealth vs. Winner of Towson/Drexel - 11:20 a.m.
#1 William & Mary vs. Winnger of George Mason/Hofstra - 2:00 p.m.
#4 James Madison vs. #5 UNC-Wilmington - 4:30 p.m.


Semifinals (Saturday, Aprill 19 at Byrd Park)
Winner of ODU/DEL vs. Winner of VCU/TOW-DREX - 9:00 a.m.
Winner of W&M/GMU-HOF vs. Winner of JMU/UNCW - 11:30 a.m.


Championship (Sunday, April 20 at Byrd Park) - 10:00 a.m.



2003 CAA Men's Tennis Championship Schedule


First Round (Thursday, April 17 at VCU Thalhimer Tennis Center)
#7 Delaware vs. #10 George Mason - 11:00 a.m.
#8 Drexel vs. #9 Towson - 1:30 p.m.


Quarterfinals (Friday, April 18 at VCU Thalhimer Tennis Center)
#3 Old Dominion vs. #6 Hofstra - 9:00 a.m.
#2 William & Mary vs. Winner of Delaware/George Mason - 11:20 a.m.
#1 Virginia Commonwealth vs. Winnger of Drexel/Towson - 2:00 p.m.
#4 James Madison vs. #5 UNC-Wilmington - 4:30 p.m.


Semifinals (Saturday, Aprill 19 at Byrd Park)
Winner of ODU/HOF vs. Winner of W&M/DEL-GMU - 2:00 p.m.
Winner of VCU/DREX-TOW vs. Winner of JMU/UNCW - 4:30 p.m.


Championship (Sunday, April 20 at Byrd Park) - 1:00 p.m.