The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Miami (OH)
Tennis Crowned MAC Champion, Top Miami 4-3
May 01 | Women's Tennis
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Natalia Kuvakina scored a three-set, last-match-on-court win at No. 6
singles to give the second-seeded University of Akron tennis team a
comeback 4-3 victory over top-seeded Miami (Ohio) in the
Mid-American Conference tournament championship on Sunday at
Ypsilanti High School. The Zips (20-4) claimed the program's
first-ever league title and were competing in the championship
round for the first time in school history.
With the win, Akron has earned the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA
Championship. Pairings will be announced on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET
via NCAA.com, with the first and second rounds to be held on May
13-15 at regional campus sites.
Down 3-2, UA's Prang Pantusart posted a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Megan Martzolf at No.
3 singles to even the score and set the stage for Kuvakina's
heroics. The Zips freshman dropped her first set 6-4 to Cara Wald,
but got a 6-2 and 6-4 decision in the next two sets to score match
point and make Akron the victor.
The Zips opened the day by winning the doubles point. The three
pairs flights were decided in numeric order. Martzolf and Stephanie
Danesis downed UA's Zara Harutyunyan and Angelina Jogasuria at No. 1, 8-3, but Pantusart and Angelika Jogasuria defeated MU's Riekie Honiball and Jessica Parr at No.
2, 8-2. The Akron duo of Anya Baronayte and Jeremie Benjamin claimed the crucial early point at No. 3 over Wald and
Anastasia Dracheva, 8-5.
On the singles court, Angelika Jogasuria lost to Danesis at No. 2, 6-1, 6-4, to make it 1-all,
but Harutyunyan got the best of Dracheva at No. 1, 6-4, 6-2 to give
the Zips a 2-1 edge. Akron then gave up the Nos. 4 and 5 singles
positions to fall behind, 3-2. At No. 4, MU's Nimisha Mohan got the
best of Angelina Jogasuria 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 and Honiball took down Baronayte at
No. 5, 6-3, 6-2. UA completed the comeback with the victories at
Nos. 3 and 6.
The Akron win contained another milestone as it was the
program's first-ever positive decision in the all-time series
versus Miami (19-6), with the RedHawks having claimed the previous
20 meetings. Miami won the tournament title the last two years and
was the MAC regular-season champion the last three seasons.
"This is a wonderful moment for our University and our team,"
first-year Akron head coach Brandon Padgett said. "I'm especially proud of our seniors, Anya
(Baronayte) and Jeremie (Benjamin), as they clinched the doubles
points for us, which was extremely crucial. Defeating a talented
team like Miami means a great deal to us and we expect this to turn
into a serious rivalry."
Sunday's conference title, the fourth in 2010-11 for an Akron
Athletics team, rounded out an exciting week for the Zips tennis
program. At Thursday night's tournament banquet, Harutyunyan was
named league player of the year for the third-consecutive season
and also earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team for the
third-straight year. Additionally, Pantusart and Angelika Jogasuria were named to the all-conference second team. Those
three all-league selections tied Miami as most of any league member
this year.
Two Zips were named to the all-tournament team - Harutyunyan and
Pantusart. Harutyunyan was also awarded MVP.
Along with the tennis program, Akron Athletics teams have
claimed the men's soccer tournament championship (also
regular-season champion), men's basketball tournament title (played
in title match each of the last five years), and men's indoor track
championship (first in program history) during the current academic
year.
(2) Akron 4, (1) Miami (Ohio) 3
Doubles
1. Stephanie Danesis/Megan Martzolf (Miami) def. Zara Harutyunyan/Angelina Jogasuria (Akron) 8-3
2. Angelika Jogasuria/Prang Pantusart (Akron) def. Riekie Honiball/Jessica Parr (Miami)
8-2
3. Anya Baronayte/Jeremie Benjamin (Akron) def. Anastasia Dracheva/Cara Wald (Miami)
8-5
Singles
1. Zara Harutyunyan (Akron) def. Anastasia Dracheva (Miami) 6-4,
6-2
2. Stephanie Danesis (Miami) def. Angelika Jogasuria (Akron) 6-1, 6-4
3. Prang Pantusart (Akron) def. Megan Martzolf (Miami) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
4. Nimisha Mohan (Miami) def. Angelina Jogasuria (Akron) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
5. Riekie Honiball (Miami) def. Anya Baronayte (Akron) 6-3, 6-2
6. Natalia Kuvakina (Akron) def. Cara Wald (Miami) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish:
Doubles - 1, 2, 3
Singles - 2, 1, 5, 4, 3, 6
Team records:
Akron - 20-4
Miami - 19-6
MAC All-Tournament Team:
Zara Harutyunyan, Akron (MVP)
Prang Pantusart, Akron
Emily Reuland, Bowling Green
Stephanie Danesis, Miami
Nimisha Mohan, Miami
Maria Nivia, Western Michigan
Players Mentioned
