The 23rd of August marked the start of the Fall Semester, and it was a very exciting first week to say the least. It's great to see everyone back at school, in class, at practices and around campus. ODU has gradually moved from the quiet summer state to all of the liveliness of the fall.

As a sports team at ODU, one of the new endeavors that we are taking on as we start this year is competing as members of a new conference. This will be the first year we will be participating as an NCAA Division II institution as members of the GLIAC. For some of us, we got a taste of that level of competition last year, and for some of us it is something completely new, but regardless, we are all looking forward to a good season ahead.  more

Summer did go by fast, but I missed my team and our practices, and it feels great to get back into the swing of things. We had two seniors graduate last year, and so we have two freshmen join us: Kelsi Klein from Pickerington, OH and Sofia Espana-Perez from Mexico City. They are both wonderful girls and we are very excited to have them on our team. I am interested to see how the team dynamic will change and I am looking forward to see how these two new members can contribute and blend in. We had a busy first week, and I feel that we are bonding as a team already.

This past week was the infamous ‘wake-up call.' We had conditioning in the mornings and regular practice in the afternoons. It was challenging having to condition in the mornings and then to put a solid two hours of practice in the afternoon. However, it was good to see where we all stand physically and mentally and to see where each of us needs work in order to move forward together as a team. I feel that was the strong start we needed to get us going.  

On Friday, we had a chance to do something a little different. Coach Beigle gave us all the opportunity to do a ropes course, and it was tons of fun. Some of the obstacles were challenging for some of us, but most of all, it was great to see everyone work together as a team, which made it even more fun and memorable.

We have another busy week ahead of us with more conditioning and practices – more preparation work in order to get us in the best shape possible, physically and mentally, for a great season. Speaking of which, our season starts this Friday, Sept. 3 with our first conference match against Wayne State University. I am looking forward to it, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The entire team has been working hard so far and is prepared to keep up that hard work and exceed the level of intensity. We have a few more days to build up and fine tune ourselves. We are going to embrace this great opportunity and accept this challenge before us. I am very fortunate to be a part of this team and I am proud of every one of us. I know we are going to represent ODU well, and do our university, our team and our coaches proud.

Alongside us, the men's tennis team has also been working extremely hard, every step of the way, in preparation for their matches and challenges. I am sure they are very excited to start up this coming Saturday, Sept. 4 against Taylor University.

Best of luck to all of the ODU fall sports teams for their seasons and....GO PANTHERS!!

Ruchika Alahakoon is a senior from Colombo, Sri Lanka, majoring in psychology . The Panthers have a road match at Wayne State on Friday before returning home to host Taylor University at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican senior Kate Rodgers (Milford, OH) was recently named the NAIA Women's Region III Senior Player of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Rodgers was instrumental in the Panthers continued rise in her four years at ODU.

Rodgers departs as one of the most decorated players on and off the court in ODU women's tennis program history. An All-AMC (American Mideast Conference) selection as a sophomore and junior, Rodgers also epitomized the meaning of student-athlete as a 2-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and 6-time ODU Academic Excellence Award Winner. Kate finished her career with more than 50 singles victories and over 40 doubles wins.  more

During her career, the Panthers won two AMC titles and earned back-to-back NAIA National Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009 for the first time in school history.

"Kate was a great competitor and is very deserving of this award," said head coach Ryan Beigle. "Kate's humility and grace with her teammates and opponents is a testament to her character and desire to do things the right way."

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that 115 women's tennis players have been named 2009-10 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Roberts Wesleyan College (N.Y.), a member of the American Mideast Conference, placed six athletes on the list.

Nominated by each institution's head coach, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and have achieved junior academic status to qualify.  more

The Ohio Dominican women's tennis team had one member named to the 2010 Daktronics-NAIA Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete Team.   Senior Caroline Orians earned her second consecutive scholar award.  

Orians (Upper Sandusky, OH) recently finished her career for the Panthers.   Caroline played an important role in helping the women's program develop into one of the top NAIA tennis programs over the past three years.

"A great way to finish a solid career in the classroom and on the court," said head coach Ryan Beigle. "I am very proud of who Caroline has become and of the legacy she has left ODU with. She will be missed."

GEORGETOWN, Kentucky – The Ohio Dominican women's tennis team opened post season play on Thursday morning with a come from behind 5-4 win over Bethel University (TN) in Georgetown, Kentucky. The Panthers, the 4^th seed in the NAIA Qualifying Tournament, battled back from a 2-1 deficit in doubles to defeat the Wildcats and advance to the Semi-Final round against top-seeded Lindsey Wilson College (KY) on Friday morning.

Bethel came ready to play on the doubles court as they quickly took control on courts one and three. The Panthers continue to scrap and claw their way through the match but it was the Wildcats who found themselves with a 2-1 lead after doubles play. Earning the lone doubles point for ODU was Nathalia Braga (Fr./Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Ruchika Alahakoon (Jr./Colombo, Sri Lanka) on court two, 8-1.   more

Trailing 2-1, the Panthers found their rhythm in singles as they were able to claim 4-of-6 courts to win the match and advance to the semi-final round. Earning singles points for ODU was Kate Rodgers (Sr./Milford, OH) and Alahakoon on courts three and four, 6-0, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-0, along with Krista Derry (Fr./Baltimore, OH) and Mari Monaco (So./Port Clinton, OH) who dominated 6-0, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-1 on courts five and six.

Ohio Dominican returns to action on Friday, April 30^th as they will look to extend their season against the NAIA No. 14 ranked Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College. The Semi-Final match is set to begin at 10 a.m. on the campus of Georgetown College.