FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University women's tennis has claimed 19 straight ODAC championships dating back to the 2003 season. The Generals enter the 2023 postseason poised to add yet another trophy to their mantle as the top seed enter next week's ODAC Women's Tennis Tournament.
The Generals (10-0) posted their 16th straight unbeaten league campaign since the ODAC moved to team results to determine the conference champion in 2007. Sweet Briar College (9-1) wrapped up the second seed with its victory over Averett University (8-2) on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars, new to the ODAC ranks this season, will play as the third seed. AU tied with Randolph-Macon College (8-2) in the league table, but its win over the Yellow Jackets during the regular season awarded the higher position to the Cougars.
RELATED: Tournament Website | Live Bracket
Those top four seeds will serve as hosts of the ODAC quarterfinals on Tuesday. Shenandoah University (7-3) earned the fifth spot outright and will head to R-MC for quarterfinal play. University of Lynchburg (6-4) finished in solo second and travels an hour south to Averett on Tuesday.
The remaining two seeds required a deep dive into the ODAC's tiebreaking protocols. Roanoke College and Virginia Wesleyan University tied at 4-6 in the conference standings. The Maroons and Marlins did not play each other in the league's unbalanced schedule format, so head-to-head results could not factor in the equation. Given the unbalanced nature of the schedule, the next two steps -- the ODAC 5-Point Tiebreaker and Top-Down Comparison -- feature common opponent parameters. Roanoke and Virginia Wesleyan did not face Randolph College in addition to themselves, but did square off with the remaining 10 teams in the league. Their records were identical with victories Bridgewater, Hollins, Ferrum, and Guilford and losses to the same six teams marking their schedules.
Tennis does not have a sport-specific tiebreaker in ODAC protocols. That left the last remaining step to determine the seventh and eighth seeds -- pre-drawn lots. Roanoke (4) has a higher lot number than Virginia Wesleyan (9), which awarded the Maroons the #7 seed and a trip to Sweet Briar in the quarterfinals. The Marlins, as the eighth seed, will play at Washington and Lee on Tuesday.
The ODAC women's tennis semifinals and championship return to Washington and Lee's campus in Lexington, Va., to be played in conjunction with the men's final four. The women's matches will feature the earlier start times on both days (alternates from year-to-year). Those times for Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's championship will be determined shortly.
Listed below is the entire schedule for the 2023 ODAC Women's Tennis Tournament. For more information including match times, visit any of the participating schools' websites or go to the ODAC tournament website. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
2023 ODAC Women's Tennis Tournament
Quarterfinals | Tuesday, April 25 at #1-4 Seeds
Match 1: #8 Virginia Wesleyan at #1 Washington and Lee -- TBA
Match 2: #5 Shenandoah at #4 Randolph-Macon -- TBA
Match 3: #6 Lynchburg at #3 Averett -- TBA
Match 4: #7 Roanoke at #2 Sweet Briar -- TBA
Semifinals | Saturday, April 29 at Washington and Lee
Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 -- TBA
Match 6: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4 -- TBA
Championship | Sunday, April 30 at Washington and Lee
Match 7: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6 -- TBA