Akron Lacrosse Opens Campaign Hosting Duquesne

Saturday, February 7

Akron, Ohio

3:00 PM

University of Akron

Duquesne

February 06 | Women's Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron lacrosse team will open its 2026 campaign and seventh overall season as a program welcoming Duquesne to the Stile Athletics Field House for a 3:00 p.m. match on Saturday (Feb. 7).

PARKING UPDATE: Akron lacrosse fans are encouraged to park in Lot 6, 9 and 10 (Surrounding the Field House off Vine and Union Streets) for this weekend's lacrosse match. Parking in other lots without appropriate UA permit is subject to ticketing by parking services. Please enter through the main doors to field house off South Union Street.

AKRON PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MAC PRESEASON POLL:
The Mid-American Conference announced the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday (Feb. 4) as Akron was selected by the league's women's lacrosse coaches to finish second this season.

Conference newcomer Massachusetts (48 points, 6 first-place votes) was tabbed to capture the regular and postseason championships followed by Akron (37 points), Eastern Michigan (37), Robert Morris (34, 1 first-place vote), Central Michigan (28), Kent State (19), Youngstown State (12) and Detroit Mercy (9).

ZIPS CAPTURE MAC TOURNAMENT TITLE:
A golden goal from Jaelyn Clinkscales with 14 seconds remaining in overtime propelled the Akron lacrosse team to its first ever Mid-American Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory over Robert Morris in the league's title match on May 3, 2025, in Moon Township, Pa.

Picked to finish last in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Zips overcame a five-goal second-half deficit to force and overtime and set the stage for Clinkscales' game-winning goal in overtime.

AKRON EARNS FIRST EVER MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE:
With its 14-12 come-from-behind victory over Robert Morris on April 27, 2025, the Zips earned a share of their first-ever Mid-American Conference regular season title.

FOUR ZIPS AND HEAD COACH ELAINE JONES GARNER ALL-MAC ACCOLADES:
Akron garnered a program-record four All-Mid-American Conference selections when the league unveiled its 2025 award winners in a vote of the league coaches.

Akron head coach Elaine Jones was recognized as the league's Coach of the Year as she led the Zips to their first ever MAC Regular Season title after the squad was picked to finish last in the preseason coaches' poll.

Noelle Boyd and junior Sienna Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.) headlined the Zips' award winners as the duo was selected as First-Team All-MAC honorees.

Pulling in Second-Team All-MAC laurels was senior Katie Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.). Additionally, sophomore Julia Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.) was tabbed to the MAC All-Freshman team.

ZIPS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2026:
The Akron senior duo of Katie Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) and Sarah Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) will serve as the Zips' captains for the 2026 campaign.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Sienna Hinchcliffe led the Zips in goals (59), points (73), shots (142) and shots on goal (106). Noelle Boyd paced the squad in assists (26) and draw controls (76) and ranked second in ground balls (43). Katie Baumer directed the team in caused turnovers (24). Goalkeeper Hannah Sanders registered 144 saves and a team-high 45 ground balls.

SCOUTING DUQUESNE:
Akron is meeting Duquesne for the third time in program history. The Dukes posted a 5-10 ledger a season ago, including a 2-8 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Senior Chelsea Evans is Duquesne's returning leader in goals (16), shots (43), shots on goal (28), ground ball (36), caused turnovers (28) and draw controls (28), while junior Gracin Emerson paces the Dukes in points (36). Senior goalkeeper Megan LaBorne returns in net after collecting 74 saves and 13 ground balls on the campaign en route to posting a 14.36 goals against average. Duquesne is led by second-year head coach Tracy Coyne, who owns a 5-10 ledger as a head coach for the Dukes and is 327-240 overall in 36 years as a head coach.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (FEB. 8, 2025 – AKRON, OHIO):
Five unanswered goals to close the game, including a golden goal in overtime, lifted Duquesne to a come-from-behind 12-11 women's lacrosse victory past Akron in the season opener for both schools on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Stile Athletics Field House.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Sienna Hinchcliffe directed Akron's offensive efforts registering a game-high three goals to go along with a game-best two assists.
• Jaelyn Clinkscales and Julia Mattingly added to the offensive attack tallying two goals apiece
• Netting a goal each was Katie Baumer, senior Heather Carey (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) and Graceann Schwab.
• Collecting one assist apiece was Baumer, Carey and Clinkscales.
• Hinchcliffe recorded a game-high eight shots, including six on goal, while Baumer, Boyd and Mattingly tallied four shots each.
• Carey netted a pair of caused turnovers, while collecting a team-best five ground balls was goalkeeper Hannah Sanders.
• Mattingly led Akron with seven draw controls.
• Sanders pulled in five saves for the Zips.

AKRON NOTES:
• Sienna Hinchcliffe supplanted Alexis Kiefer as the single season record holder for goals in program history with a career-best six-goal effort against Robert Morris (April 27). She finished the campaign with 59 goals last season.
• Noelle Boyd became Akron's all-time leading goal scorer when she netted her first goal of the game versus Central Michigan (March 23).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe has set the single-season record for points (73), shots (142) and shots on goal (106), while Noelle Boyd owns the top single-season mark for assists (26) and Hannah Sanders for saves (144) and wins (11).
• Noelle Boyd surpassed Alexis Kiefer atop the career list for shots versus Robert Morris (April 27) having amassed 331 shots, while moving atop the list for shots on goal with 254 shots on goal against Eastern Michigan (April 20). Additionally, she started a program record 69 games.
• Katie Baumer is three caused turnovers (58) away from supplanting Jenna Ridener atop Akron's career list.

IN THE LATEST MAC RANKINGS:
• Akron led the Mid-American Conference in assists per contest (5.89), points per tilt (17.58) and goals against average (10.91) and ranked second in shots on goal (21.11) and goals per contest (11.68) and third in shot per match (27.84).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe was first in the conference in points per outing (3.84), second in goals per game (3.11) and shots per contest (7.47), and ninth in draw controls (3.74).
• Noelle Boyd was third in the league in assists per game (1.37) and points per match (3.37), fourth in shots per tilt (5.16), seventh in draw controls per match (4.00) and in goals per game (2.00), and 10th in ground balls (2.26).
• Hannah Sanders ranked third in the league in goals against average (10.62), fourth in saves per game (8.00), seventh in save percentage (.429) and eighth in ground balls (2.50).
• Katie Baumer rated seventh in caused turnovers (1.26), eighth in draw controls (3.89), ninth in assists per tilt (0.89), and 10th in shots per game (4.68).
• Antonia Trickett rated eighth in caused turnovers (1.16).
• In league-only action, Boyd finished first in points per match (4.67), third in goals per game (3.00) and assists per tilt (1.67) and seventh in ground balls (3.17) and shots per contest (6.17). Hinchcliffe was second in shots per contest (8.67) and goals per game (3.33) and sixth in draw controls (4.83) and in points per match (4.00). Baumer was third in caused turnovers (1.83), fourth in draw controls (5.83) and ninth in points per match (3.00), while Sanders was sixth in goals against average (11.17) and in saves per game (8.17) and eighth in save percentage (.422).

ZIPS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
• Hannah Sanders was 32nd in the NCAA in goals against average (10.68), 42nd in saves (144), 45th in ground balls (2.50), and 49th in saves per game (8.00).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe rated 20th in the NCAA in shots per game (7.47), 23rd in shots on goal (5.58), 30th in total goals (59), and 41st in goals per game (3.11).
• Akron ranked 26th in the NCAA in clearing percentage (.907), 33rd in ground balls (17.53), 42nd in scoring defense (10.95), 44th in winning percentage (.579), and 45th in assists per game (5.89).
• Noelle Boyd ranked eighth among active NCAA D1 leaders in draw controls (309), 10th in ground balls (149), 25th in ground balls per game (2.10) and 35th in draw controls per tilt (4.35), while Hannah Sanders rated 15th in ground balls per contest (2.28), 24th in ground balls (123), 27th in goalkeeper minutes played (2,508) and in saves (351). Additionally, Sienna Hinchcliffe ranked 32nd in goals per match (2.69) and 41st in points per game (3.46).

UP NEXT:
Akron hosts Lindenwood at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 14).