The Basics
Drake will host the Old Dominion Monarchs and the Luther Norse on Sunday, January 28 at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center for the Bulldogs' second consecutive weekend at home. The Sunday festivities will commence at 11 a.m. against Old Dominion and continue against Luther at 4 p.m.
 
Coach Ben Lott on the Upcoming Matchups
"Sunday is going to be a great opportunity for us to see how we stack up on the national stage. The team is in great shape coming into this weekend, especially with getting Olle Lidholt back to practice after missing last weekend's three dual matches, which puts us back at full strength. We are confident in our ability to compete with any team in the country, and this weekend will come down to whether we can execute at the right moments."
 
Welcome Back, Bulldogs
Drake kicked off the Spring season with a statement weekend, defeating three opponents. The Bulldogs defeated Washburn 4-1, Northern Illinois 6-1 and William Woods 7-0.
 
Six Bulldogs went undefeated in singles play on the weekend and the team totaled a cumulative 16-2 singles record. Markus Bolin stood out for Drake, going 3-0 in his matches. Matt Clegg, Aaron Dawson, Oliver Johansson, Ben Johnson and Jeremy Schifris were the other Bulldogs to go undefeated, with each winning two matches.
 
Drake also asserted their dominance in doubles play, going 8-1 as a team. The duo of Johansson and Matija Matic set the tone for Drake, securing doubles victories against all three opponents en route to a 3-0 record. The tandems of Schifris and Bolin and Clegg and Johnson also went undefeated, notching 2-0 records. The two newcomers, Johnson and Dawson, teamed up to win a doubles match against William Woods.
 
Scouting the Competition
Old Dominion is 2-0 thus far in the young season. They defeated Temple and Howard in their opening weekend, with both victories ending in 7-0 scores. Old Dominion went 18-10 in their 2023 season and won the Sun Belt Conference Championship. The Monarchs lost 1-4 against Utah in the NCAA tournament.
 
The Monarchs had two doubles tandems ranked nationally in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings released on November 15, 2023. Connor van Schalkwyk and Codie van Schalkwyk, a pair of brothers, slotted in at the number six spot on the rankings. They were joined by teammates Cosme Rolland De Ravel and Jakob Cadonau, who were ranked number 33 in the doubles top 35.
 
The Bulldogs and the Monarchs are 1-1 in all-time play. The two most recently clashed in 2019, where Drake won by a slim 4-3 margin.
 
Luther is beginning their Spring campaign this weekend in Des Moines. The American Rivers Conference representative went 19-8 last season, with their season ending in a conference championship. The Norse's conference championship earned them a bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament and a number three seed. Luther was upset in the tournament's first round, suffering a 3-5 loss to the number five seed Grinnell.
 
Luther's headliner is Luke Westholder. Last season, Westholder was awarded All-America honors from ITA and became the first Luther Norse to earn All-American status in singles play since 1992. Westholder continued his excellence into fall 2023 when he secured American Rivers Conference Male Athlete of the Week in September.
 
Drake and Luther will compete for the second time ever this weekend, with Drake owning a 1-0 lifetime advantage. The two schools last competed against each other in 2004, making this a 20-year reunion.
 
Up Next
Drake will remain at home for the third straight weekend to host Creighton on Saturday, February 3 at 2 p.m.