The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Detroit
Women's Tennis Claims 5-2 Win Over Detroit
March 12 | Women's Tennis
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
AKRON, Ohio — Playing in the first ever dual match at the Outdoor Tennis Facility, The University of Akron women's tennis team got back on track after earning a 5-2 victory over Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
"It was good to get back on the winning side today," head coach Brandon Padgett said. "We had some strong performances across the board in singles, and it was nice to see Karalina back on the court today."
The Zips (10-4) took the first doubles match of the day after sophomores Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) and Carli Knezevich (Austin, Texas) captured a 6-2 triumph over Nynke Van Der Goot and Iris Thioux. However, the Titans were able to snatch the next two matches to claim the doubles point.
Akron then seized five out of the six singles matches to seal the win. Blinova also recorded a 6-3, 6-0 singles victory at the No. 2 slot against Valeryia Kulikovskaya while fellow classmate Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) defeated Anna Davydova at the top spot, 6-1, 7-5.
Junior Karalina Maksimava (Mogilev, Belarus) played in her first singles match since Feb. 7 to beat Detroit's Irina Slizovskaya, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 3 position. Senior Martina Zerbola (Neuquen, Argentina) took down Viktoria Laskutova, 7-5, 6-2 after freshman Luisa Echeverry (Cali, Columbia) overpowered Iris Thioux, 6-3, 6-3.
"I was pleased with our overall play outdoors today, playing our first ever dual match on our new outdoor courts," Padgett concluded. "We have work to do in order to be ready for MAC play, but we have two excellent matches next week at Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana that will both help prepare us."
Akron will prepare for a three-match road swing starting at Tulane on Saturday, March 19. First serve is set for 11 a.m. The following match will be held in Hammond, La. against Southeastern Louisiana on Monday, March 21 at 3:00 p.m.
AKRON 5, DETROIT 2
March 12, 2016
Doubles:
1. Anna Davydova/Irina Slizovskaya (UD) def. Luisa Echeverry/ Martina Zerbola (UA), 6-2
2. Valeryia Kulikovskaya/Viktoria Laskutova (UD) def. Sophia Geier/ Karalina Maksimava (UA), 7-6 (6)
3. Carli Knezevich/ Ariadna Blinova (UA) def. Nynke Van Der Goot/ Iris Thioux (UD), 6-2
Singles:
1. Geier (UA) def. Davydova, 6-1, 7-5
2. Blinova (UA) def. Kulikovskaya, 6-3, 6-0
3. Maksimava (UA) def. Slizovskaya, 6-2, 6-2
4. Van Der Goot (UD) def. Shannon Newnes, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5)
5. Martina Zerbola (UA) def. Laskutova, 7-5, 6-2
6. Echeverry (UA) def. Thioux, 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish:
Doubles– 3, 1, 2
Singles– 2, 3, 6, 5, 1, 4
Team Records:
Akron (10-4 overall, 0-0 MAC)
Detroit (1-5 overall, 0-0 Horizon League)
Players Mentioned
