By: Dominik Pocrnja/Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
LEXINGTON, Va. – At the jaws of defeat midway through singles matches, No. 37 Averett University men’s tennis defied the odds by winning four consecutive matches to claw its way back to the 2025 Old Dominion Athletic Conference men’s tennis title versus No. 23 Washington and Lee University on Sunday afternoon on the Generals’ home courts.
With the victory, Averett (16-4) snapped Washington and Lee’s 14-season win streak in conference championships, and seals Averett’s bid into the 2025 Division III men’s tennis championships for its first appearance since 2000.
Outdoors for the first time all weekend, Washington and Lee (16-7) came out relentlessly, grabbing the first doubles match in the middle slot. Averett senior Jaeden Mukkaladyil and junior Prabjeet Chandhok came away with an impressive win over General duo Evan Erb and Will Kistler at No. 1, pushing the decider to the third doubles court.
Down 5-4 at one point, freshmen Florian Bert and Lucas Fiandra battled to force a set tiebreak but came out on the losing end. Ryan Good and Sanjheev Rao clinched the first point of the championship with a 7-1 win in the tiebreak. The Cougars had to take four out of the six singles matches to win it all.
The visitors were pushed behind farther, as nationally ranked Erb won at the top slot to make it 2-0 to Washington and Lee. Rao tallied the General’s third team point of the afternoon, putting them just a win away from the title.
Having its backs against the wall fully, Averett somehow climbed out of the 3-0 hole with consecutive wins. Chandhok’s 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) win at No. 4 gave the Cougars their first team point, and Mukkaladyil’s 6-2, 7-6 win at No. 2 singles brought it to 3-2.
Next at No. 3, Bert and James Kurani duked it out for three sets, but Bert came out victorious, 6-2 in the final set, leveling the championship at 3-3.
It all came down to the fifth singles flight between freshman Rafael Jodas and Heys Parker to hoist the trophy. In a third set, Jodas willed his way to the match point on his serve. Staying within the point with his slice forehand, he forced the error from his opponent, and pandemonium ensued.
Celebrating on the ground with all of his teammates, the Cougars hoisted the program’s first ODAC trophy, and only the school’s second in any team sport since the wrestling team won its own conference title in 2022-23.
“It’s a crazy feeling to be the last one to win the match and clinch it,” Jodas noted after winning the fourth team point to clinch the championship. “I wanted to win for everyone, we are a great group and was just so happy to help everyone.”
Chandhok had lost to Washington and Lee in two straight title matches, but coming out on the third try with a triumph, he couldn’t hold himself back.
“I just couldn’t stop my tears, it was the best thing to happen to all of us,” Chandhok said. “We worked so hard, every day in the offseason, and this couldn’t be possible without any of the guys, especially without Coach (Bert) Poole and Henrique Leal.”
Bert Poole was seeking this elusive win since he took over the program a decade prior and finally got his shining moment.
“When Rafael clinched the match, I watched our players wildly rush onto the court and celebrate our victory. I was so happy for them…proud of them. For me, it was the best moment of my professional life,” Poole remarked. “I owe them all a great debt of gratitude for their commitment and hard work. They are the most selfless team I’ve ever coached, and I feel so fortunate to have coached them this season.”
It was a season that Poole envisioned would be successful. “We had a lot of things going for us this year. We had a group of high character young men, fantastic leaders and a talented assistant coach,” Poole said. “All that was needed from me was to provide a little guidance and stay out of the way.”
Already confirmed to play at least one more match in 2025, the Cougars’ focus shifts toward the NCAA selection show to see where and when the team will play its opening tournament match. The selection show is set for Monday, May 5 at 12:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Visit the Averett University Athletics Website (AverettCougars.com) for more information.