Harutyunyan Falls in NCAA Singles Round of 64

Wednesday, May 26

University of Akron

NCAA Singles

May 26 | Women's Tennis

ATHENS, Ga. - University of Akron sophomore tennis player Zara Harutyunyan suffered a 6-0, 6-3 loss to Southern California's Danielle Lao on Wednesday in the opening round of 64 at the NCAA Championships singles competition. The event is being held at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the University of Georgia campus.

Loa is currently ranked No. 37 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, while Harutyunyan is listed No. 98. Harutyunyan, one of 19 automatic qualifiers in the bracket, was the first-ever Zip chosen to the 64-person field and is one of just four Mid-American Conference players to ever qualify, and the first since 2007. She joins Eastern Michigan's Vanessa Frankowski (2007), and Western Michigan's Amy Yeast (1985) and Sue Weigand (1983) as the only conference players to have competed in the NCAA Championships singles field.

Harutyunyan, the MAC's Player of the Year each of the last two seasons, finished the year with a 36-6 overall singles record (21-2 dual mark and an 8-0 tally against league opponents).

In October 2009, Harutyunyan represented UA in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship in Los Angeles, where she won three matches in two days to advance herself out of the 64-player pre-qualifying singles draw and into the 64-person qualifying component of the competition. Also in October, she was one of three Zips to qualify for the singles main draw of the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional in Evanston, Ill. (joining freshman identical twins Angelina Jogasuria and Angelika Jogasuria).

Harutyunyan's appearance in the NCAA Championships closed out what was arguably the most successful season in program history. The Zips clinched a bye out of the league championship's first-round for the second-consecutive year, after achieving their highest-ever finish in the conference standings. Second-seeded Akron was edged 4-3 by third-seeded Western Michigan in the semifinal round of the MAC Championship - advancing farther into the league tournament than any other squad in program history.

UA closed out the year with a program single-season record for league wins (7-1) and tallied the most overall victories (19-3) since the 1990-91 squad posted a 26-6 mark. UA also spent the majority of the dual-match season ranked in the ITA's top 75, being recognized by the governing body of collegiate tennis each week from Feb. 23-April 20 and peaking at No. 63 in both the March 30 and April 6 polls.

Along with Harutyunyan being named MAC Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, Angelina Jogasuria was selected as the league's freshman of the year. Harutyunyan and Jogasuria also earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team. Angelika Jogasuria, Angelina's identical twin, was placed on the All-MAC Second Team. It marked the first time UA has placed two student-athletes on the All-MAC First Team in the same season, with the Zips' three all-league selections this year tying Miami (Ohio) as most of any conference member.