The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Head to Muncie, Ind., for MAC Women's Tennis Championship
April 28 | Women's Tennis
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MATCH NOTES | LIVE STATS | ESPN3
AKRON ZIPS
[23-3 OVERALL, 7-1 MAC]
2017 MAC Championship
Cardinal Creek Tennis Courts • Muncie, Ind.
April 28-30
Live Stats: MACSports.com
Television: ESPN3.com
Quarterfinals: Friday, April 28
#4 Miami vs. #5 Northern Illinois 10 a.m.
#3 Buffalo vs. #6 Western Michigan 2 p.m.
Semifinals: Saturday, April 29
#1 Ball State vs. #4/#5 winner 10 a.m.
#2 Akron vs. #3/#6 winner 2 p.m.
Championship: Sunday, April 30
Semifinal winners Noon
THIS WEEK
Second-seeded Akron travels to the 2017 Mid-American Conference Championship on April 28-30 in Muncie, Ind. Hosted by defending MAC Ball State, matched will be played at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Courts (weather permitting). ESPN3 will televise the entire tournament online. Live stats will be available for all matches.
Following a first round bye, the Zips will face the winner of the #3 Buffalo/#6 Western Michigan match in semifinal action on Saturday, April 29 at 3 p.m.
The championship match will be Sunday, April 30, at Noon. A trophy ceremony will immediately follow.
Each match will consist of three doubles competitions and six singles matches. Whichever team reaches four points first will win the match and advance in the bracket. Once a team has clinched, the remaining courts will stop play.
The Akron Zips, under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Brandon Padgett, stand 23-3 overall and 7-1 in MAC play. UA set the school record with a 22-match winning streak (Feb. 4-April 22) and was undefeated in conference play until the final regular-season match. The Zips returned eight letterwinners and welcomed one freshman.
"We are excited for the tournament this weekend, and are hopeful that we can continue our high level of play. Sustaining such a consistently high level of performance is certainly one of the most difficult challenges a collegiate athlete faces. However, our team is well prepared, focused, and motivated for this weekend. All six teams competing are strong and have a legitimate chance of winning the tournament, and it could literally come down to a single court in each and every match played, which, as a competitor, is what you should want."
SCOUTING BUFFALO
The No. 3 seed Bulls, under fifth-year head coach Kristen Maines, stand 11-8 overall and 5-3 in the MAC. Junior Tanja Stojanovska, a first-team All-MAC selection, is 8-6 at No. 1 singles. She plays No.1 doubles with senior Margarita Kotok and holds a 13-3 record. During the season, Akron picked up a 5-2 win at Buffalo on March 31.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
The No. 6 seed Broncos, under second-year head coach Ryan Tomlinson, stand 10-12 overall and 4-4 in the MAC. Senior Barbare Eristavi sports Western Michigan's best record at 25-7 overall, 5-1 at No.4 singles, and 6-2 at No. 6 singles. At No.2 doubles, sophomore Denise Azcui and junior Olivia Myers are 6-3. During the season, Akron picked up a 5-2 win at Western Michigan on April 9.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
The top-seeded and defending MAC champion Cardinals, under fourth-year head coach Max Norris, stand 20-2 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the MAC. Senior Carmen Blanco, a first-team All-MAC selection, is 9-5 at No. 1 singles. She plays No.1 doubles with first-team All-MAC honoree Peyton Gollhofer and stand 3-1. In the final match of the regular season, Ball State beat Akron, 4-3, in the battle of the unbeatens for the MAC regular-season title.
ALL-MAC HONORS
Junior Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) was named the 2017 Mid-American Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year on Wednesday. Geier was also a first-team All-MAC selection. Junior teammate Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) was a second-team All-MAC honoree.
Senior captain Shannon Newnes (Romford, London) earned the Leann Grimes Davidge Sportsmanship Award.
In his seventh year with the Zips, head coach Brandon Padgett was named MAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time. He guided Akron to a 23-3 record, including a 22-match win streak, and 7-1 MAC record. Padgett is the first Akron coach to earn the MAC coaching honor in program history (since 1981).
ZIPS MAC HISTORY
The Akron Zips have won the MAC Tournament championship twice in school history– in 2011 and 2012 under coach Brandon Padgett. The Zips have also advanced to NCAA play in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Seven of the nine Zips om this year's roster hail from overseas. Only juniors Carli Knezevich (Austin, Texas) and Waverly Wituski (Springboro, Ohio) are homegrown talent. MAC Player of the Year Sophie Geier speaks three languages– English, German, and French.
HEAD COACH BRANDON PADGETT
In his seventh season at Akron, head coach Brandon Padgett has mentored 12 All-MAC honorees, 17 Academic All-MAC student-athletes, two Players of the Year, and two prestigious MAC Leann Grimes Davidge Sportsmanship award winners. His Zips have earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award every year. Additionally, UA tennis has scored a perfect 1000 APR score the last two years.
