The University of Akron Athletics
2007-08 Women's Tennis
Tanyaradzwa Gombera
- Height:
- 5-2
- Class:
- Junior
- High School:
- Chisipite Senior HS
- Hometown:
- Harare, Zimbabwe
Year-By-YearRecord
Year Singles (MAC) Doubles(MAC)
2005-06 5-21 (0-8) 6-17(0-8)
2006-07 11-21 (1-7) 16-17(2-6)
2007-08 17-21 (1-7) 18-17(1-7)
Totals 33-63 (2-22) 40-51(3-21)
Why Akron?
“I chose Akron because I liked the area. I had alwayswanted to play college tennis in the Midwest. I also chose Akronbecause of the excellent business programs.”
Selected as one of the team's Student-Athlete Advisory Councilmembers (along with junior Kerry Langworthy)... Needssix doubles wins and 11 singles wins to become the 11th player inschool history to have 50 singles and 50 doubles careervictories... Tied for 18th on the all-time career combined singlesand doubles win list, with 83... 17 wins away from becoming thefirst player since spring of 1996 to reach 100 wins.
as a Senior (Fall 2008): Posted a 3-0 record insingles at the season-ending Dartmouth Invitational, with wins atNo. 3 over Temple, Massachusetts and Dartmouth... Finished third inthe No. 2 doubles flight at the Bowling Green Invitational, withpartner sophomore Anna Baronayte.
as a Junior (Spring 2008): Named Second-TeamAll-Mid-American Conference becoming the fifth player in teamhistory and first since 2004 to earn that honor... EarnedMAC’s Leann Grimes Davidge Sportsmanship Award for the secondtime in three years... Third season as Akron’s No. 1 singlesplayer... Earned team’s Coach’s Award... Thirty-fivecombined wins was second best on team and equaled 28th bestperformance in team history... Finished season with 40 careerdoubles wins, 15th best in team history... Invited to play onZimbabwe Fed Cup team... Most memorable moment was winning twomatches over Iowa and Minnesota at the ITA MidwestRegional.
as a Junior (Fall 2007): Became first player inteam history to win two singles matches at ITA Midwest Regional,when she won her first two rounds of the qualifier over playersfrom Iowa and Minnesota... Partnered with fellow junior AlyssaCarlson to win championship of No. 3 doubles at RocketInvitational at University of Toledo while losing only five gamesin three matches... Reached semifinal in “A” singlesand final in “A” doubles at Martha Thorn Invitationalat West Virginia University... Partnered with fellow junior
as a Sophomore (Spring 2007): Played firstsingles and first doubles in every match... Teamed with senior
as a Sophomore (Fall 2006): Represented team inboth singles and doubles at ITA Midwest Regional held at MichiganState... Reached semifinals at No. 1 singles at IPFW MastodonInvitational... Posted an overall singles record of 3-8 exclusivelyat No. 1 singles... Went 3-3 at No. 1 doubles when paired withSherlock, including a first round win at the ITA Midwest Regionalbefore losing to the No. 6-ranked team in the country.
as a Freshman (Spring 2006): Received LeannGrimes Davidge Sportsmanship Award annually given to oneMid-American Conference player who has demonstrated outstandingsportsmanship in league competition... Teamed with fellow freshmanAlyssa Carlson to go 1-1 atfirst doubles.
as a Freshman (Fall 2005): Paired with fellowfreshman Kerry Langworthy to representteam in doubles at ITA Midwest Regional... Posted a 3-2 record indoubles including a semifinal showing in the lone doubles draw atthe Zips Invitational... Compiled a 1-4 record in singles.
Prior to Akron: Represented Zimbabwe in theAfrica Junior Championships and on the Zimbabwe Schools tour... Inthe 2004 Junior Championships event she advanced to the singlesquarterfinal and doubles semifinal, while in 2003 she made it tothe doubles quarterfinal... In 2003, she won a silver medal in theAll-Africa Games played in Nigeria, and helped the Zimbabwe teamadvance to the quarterfinal round of the first-ever Afro-AsianGames in India... Competed on the International Tennis Federationcircuit.
Personal: Born March 10, 1988, in Harare,Zimbabwe... Daughter of Cecil and Mercy Gombera... Father playedsoccer in England... Has two younger siblings - brother, Alexander,and sister, Shamiso... Majoring in marketing... Craziest ambitionis to own the Leeds United Football Club... Favorite books areThe Bible and Macbeth... Non-sports hero is herfather... Favorite quotation: “If you can meet with triumphand disaster, and treat the two impostors just the same.”from the poem If by Rudyard Kipling.
