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Akron Suffers Tough 4-3 Loss at Ball State in Finale
April 22 | Women's Tennis
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MUNCIE, Ind. – In the final regular-season match of the season, the Akron women's tennis team fell to defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State, 4-3, in the battle of the undefeated on Saturday at the Muncie YMCA indoors courts.
With the win, the Cardinals earned the 2017 regular-season MAC championship and the No. 1 seed for next week's MAC Tournament.
With the match tied at 3-3, the final score came down to the very last set as junior Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) lost at No. 2 singles in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 5-7.
"Today's match is certainly difficult to absorb for the team," said UA head coach Brandon Padgett. "They fought hard and deserved a better fate. We are focused on the conference tournament now, and we definitely have additional motivation stemming from today's events. I want to thank the fans that came to support us today. It was amazing having so many people support Akron Tennis today. I know that we will have many of these same wonderful people back next weekend."
The loss snapped the Zips' (23-3 overall, 7-1 MAC) 22-match win streak this spring. The Cardinals (20-2 overall, 8-0 MAC) have won 15 straight matches.
The Zips started the day off on the winning track, taking the doubles point. At the No. 1 spot, junior Carli Knezevich (Austin, Texas) and senior Karolina Maksimova (Mogilev, Belarus) defeated BSU's Audrey Berger and Julia Sbircea, 6-1. At No. 3 doubles, senior captain Shannon Newnes (Romford, London) and freshman Rita Pedroso (Porto, Portugal) beat Isabelle Dohanics and Rosalinda Calderon, 7-6 (3).
In singles action, Akron registered wins at the No. 1 and 6 spots. At the No. 1 singles spot, junior captain Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) improved to 29-3 overall and 7-1 in MAC play with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Carmen Blanco.
At No. 6 singles, Knezevich defeated Rosalina Calderon, 7-6 (1), 2-6, 6-3.
Akron will travel back to Muncie, Ind., for the 2017 MAC Tournament on April 28-30. As the No. 2 seed, the Zips will receive a first round bye and will begin action on Saturday, April 29. UA won the 2011 and 2012 MAC Tournament championships.
BALL STATE 4, AKRON 3
YMCA, Muncie, Ind.
April 22, 2017
Doubles:
1. Carli Knezevich/Karolina Maksimova (UA) def. Audrey Berger/Julia Sbircea, 6-1
2.Peyton Gollhofer/Carmen Blanco (BSU) def. Ariadna Blinova/Sophia Geier, 6-3
3. Shannon Newnes/Rita Pedroso (UA) def. Isabelle Dohanics/Rosalinda Calderon, 7-6 (3)
Singles:
1. Sophia Geier (UA) def. Carmen Blanco, 6-1, 6-3
2. Peyton Gollhofer (BSU) def. Ariadna Blinova, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
3. Toni Ormond (BSU) deg. Rita Pedroso, 7-5, 7-6 (3)
4. Isabelle Dohanics, (BSU) def. Shannon Newnes, 6-3, 6-0
5. Audrey Berger (BSU) def. Luisa Echeverry, 6-2, 6-1
6. Carli Knezevich (UA) def. Rosalina Calderon, 7-6 (1), 2-6, 6-3
Order of Finish:
Doubles– 1, 2, 3
Singles– 5, 4, 1, 3, 6, 2
Team Records:
Akron (23-3, 7-1 MAC)
Ball State (20-2 overall, 8-0 MAC)
Players Mentioned
