NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Alex Viktorovitch made the journey from Sweden to Norfolk to attend Old Dominion and play tennis back in 2019. Five years and four conference titles later, she's preparing to wrap up her college career.
"It's an addiction," the fifth-year senior said. "You want to win more. You want to keep it going."
That's exactly what the Monarchs have done during Viktorovitch's tenure with the program, claiming the last four conference titles in which they've competed. Old Dominion won Conference USA in 2021 and 2022 and have now claimed back-to-back Sun Belt titles the last two seasons. She's the only player on the roster to have a hand in all four crowns and head coach Dominic Manilla says her contributions stretch far beyond the court.
"We can have her play doubles with anybody, we can have her be roommates with anybody," noted the head coach. "If somebody's feeling a little down, we might say 'hey Alex, put your arm around that player for a few minutes and see what's up.' She's just that player on our team."
"I think they're all special in their own way," Viktorovitch said of the conference titles. "I wouldn't say one is particularly different. I'll remember all of them."
Her tennis journey has taken her a half-world away from home. Her mental journey, however, cannot be measured in miles or matches. Alex has faced more than her fair share of adversity. During the early part of 2020, her father passed away after a battle with cancer. She turned to tennis to help her get through the tough times.
"There were matches where I just broke down after that," she recalled. "I knew that was going to happen, but at the same time it's like I'm playing for dad because he was my biggest motivation in tennis."
The standout had a lot to juggle during her freshman year between the death of her father, adjusting to high-level college sports and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, she leaned on her support system and learned how to cope with the loss.
"Losing the most important person in your life, you'll never get over it," noted Viktorovitch. "You just learn to live with it. I'll never understand it, I'm just accepting it."
The fifth-year senior told us that she thinks of her dad every day and no matter what she's doing, be it tennis or otherwise, she always feels his presence.
"I hope to meet dad someday again, but since he taught me everything in life, I feel like he's with me in everything I do, as well."
The college tennis chapter of the journey is coming to an end for Viktorovitch. She'll take the court in Raleigh this weekend as Old Dominion opens the NCAA Tournament against South Carolina on Saturday morning, playing for her father, her teammates and herself. The hope is to help the Monarchs make a run in the big dance to extend her career, if only for a little while.
"We haven't done that yet," the fifth-year senior said of advancing past the first weekend of the tournament. "We've been in the second round and always lost to some big school that's seeded super high, so it would mean so much."
"I would say that we're all a little bit extra giving it for Alex," smiled Manilla. "I'm not ashamed to say that."
The Monarchs and Gamecocks get going Saturday morning at 11:00 AM, with the winner facing either NC State or South Carolina State on Sunday.
