The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Tennis Resumes MAC Play with Pair of Matches
March 30 | Women's Tennis
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AKRON, Ohio – The Akron women's tennis team will try to keep its school record 17 match-winning streak going with a pair of MAC matches this weekend.
On Friday, March 31, the Zips will head to Buffalo to do battle with the Bulls at Miller Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Akron will return home on Sunday, April 2, to host Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. at either LaTuchie Tennis Center or the Outdoor Tennis Facility on the UA campus depending on weather.
The Zips sit at 18-2 (2-0 MAC) on the season, while Buffalo is 6-5 (0-0 MAC) and the RedHawks are 6-8 (2-0 MAC).
"Buffalo was picked to win the MAC for a reason. They have immense talent on their roster from top to bottom and we always seem to have intense battles with them every time we play. I don't expect this match to be any different. We have played a lot of tennis this spring, playing nine more matches than they have, which can either be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it," said head coach Brandon Padgett.
A year ago, Akron notched a 4-3 win over Buffalo and dropped a 5-2 decision to Miami (Ohio).
Last time out, the Zips picked up a 7-0 sweep of Kennesaw St. on Tuesday, March 28.
"Physically, we are a bit banged up, which can happen at any time, but is certainly more likely to occur when you play a higher number of matches. That being said, I feel like we are playing at a high level which can only come with a lot of match play," added Padgett.
"Both scheduling methods have their merits and in the end, we simply have to go out there and control what we can control, play our style of tennis to the best of our abilities and see what the result ends up being,".
Junior Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) improved to 17-1 in singles play with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over the Owls' Alexandra Mercado.
Senior Shannon Newnes (Romford, London) has won all eight of her singles matches this spring after taking a 6-3, 6-4 decision against KSU's Jessica Cantrell.
The doubles team of junior Carli Knezevich (Austin, Texas) and senior Karolina Maksimova (Mogilev, Belarus) was named the MAC Doubles Team of the Week for the second consecutive week on Wednesday. Knezevich/Maksimova have posted a 15-1 mark in doubles action this season.
"We are focused, motivated and ready to play," said Padgett.
