The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
LIU Brooklyn
Zips Sweep LIU Brooklyn to Win Fifth Straight Match
February 17 | Women's Tennis
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QUEENS, N.Y. – The Akron women's tennis team won its fifth straight match with a 7-0 victory over Long Island University-Brooklyn on Friday afternoon at the USTA Tennis Center.
The Zips improve to 6-2 on the season with the win, while LIU Brooklyn drops to 2-2.
"I was most impressed with our energy throughout the entire match. We played well in doubles and that focus and energy continued in the singles portion of the match, which is extremely important. LIU Brooklyn's record is not a good indicator of the level of talent on their team so I am very impressed with how we pushed through each match," said head coach Brandon Padgett.
In No. 1 doubles action, the duo of senior Karalina Maksimava (Mogilev, Belarus)/junior Carli Knezevich (Lake Travis, Texas) notched their fifth straight win with a 6-4 victory over the Blackbirds' Anna Grigoryan and Malin Leysen.
Senior Shannon Newnes (Romford, London)/freshman Rita Pedroso (Porto, Portugal) and junior Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany)/junior Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) also each won their respective doubles matches to help Akron clinch the doubles point.
At the No. 1 singles spot, Geier improved to 7-1 this spring as she registered a 6-2, 6-3 decision against LIU Brooklyn's Sasha Bollweg.
Blinova held off Grigoryan with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory in No. 2 singles action for the Zips.
Pedroso and Knezevich each posted three-set victories over their LIU Brooklyn counterparts. At the No. 3 singles spot, Pedroso topped Jennifer Gogova, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (11) and Knezevich outlasted Ana Leonte in a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (8) win at the No. 6 spot.
In No. 4 singles action, Maksimava put together a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Leysen.
Sophomore Luisa Echeverry (Cali, Colombia) got the best of the Blackbirds' Isabella Wagener with a straight-set (6-2, 6-2) win at the No. 5 singles spot.
Akron will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a pair of road matches against Saint Peter's (2 p.m.) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (6:30 p.m.).
AKRON 7, LIU BROOKLYN 0
USTA Tennis Center
February 17, 2017
Doubles:
1. Karalina Maksimava/Carli Knezevich (UA) def. Anna Grigoryan/Malin Leysen, 6-4
2. Shannon Newnes/Rita Pedroso (UA) def. Isabella Wagener/Ana Leonte, 6-1
3. Ariadna Blinova/Sophia Geier (UA) def. Sasha Bollweg/Jennifer Gogova, 6-2
Singles:
1. Sophia Geier (UA) def. Sasha Bollweg, 6-2, 6-3
2. Ariadna Blinova (UA) def. Anna Grigoryan, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
3. Rita Pedroso (UA) def. Jennifer Gogova, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (11)
4. Karalina Maksimava (UA) def. Malin Leysen, 6-2, 6-1
5. Luisa Echeverry (UA) def. Isabella Wagener, 6-2, 6-2
6. Carli Knezevich (UA) def. Ana Leonte, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (8)
Order of Finish:
Doubles— 3, 2, 1
Singles— 1, 4, 5, 6, 2, 3
Team Records:
Akron (6-2, 0-0 MAC)
LIU Brooklyn (2-2, 0-0 NEC)
Players Mentioned
