AKRON, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's tennis team opened up the fall season at the Akron Shootout Friday, notching victories in all 11 singles and doubles matches.
"I thought we played really well for our first tournament of the year," associate head coach Frank Polito said. "We showed a lot of fight in the three-set matches in singles play, and our No. 1 doubles team played really well today and I look for them to keep improving as the year goes on. This was definitely a great start to the season, and hopefully we can carry this momentum into the rest of the weekend and the rest of the fall season."
In singles play, the Vikings went eight-for-eight, including a trio of three-set victories from Jana Schober, Victoria Bensimon, and Princess Gbadamosi.
With her victory against Siena's Rina Sakai, Bensimon extended her singles winstreak to 13 straight matches, and also moved into a tie for 10th place on the CSU Singles Wins list with 55 career victories. Bensimon's 13-match winstreak is the second longest winstreak since the 2002-03 season, and one of just six double-digit winstreaks during this span.
Freshman Blanche Lenoan had an excellent first outing as a Viking, as she picked up a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Siena's Julia Dunbar in singles play and teamed with Gbadamosi to post a 6-4 victory over a Youngstown State duo in doubles action.
"Blanche had a great day for us, picking up her first collegiate singles and doubles wins. She has shown improvement from the first day of practice this fall, and I'm positive that she will continue to improve throughout the year," Polito said.
Along with Lenoan and Gbadamosi's doubles victory, Cleveland State recorded two additional doubles wins on the first day of the Akron Shootout, as Aleksandra Golawska and Isabella Spindler posted a 6-4 victory and Bensimon and Schober tallied a 7-6 (4) win.
The Vikings will continue action at the Akron Shootout tomorrow (Saturday, September 24), with one round of singles and one round of doubles beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Akron Shootout Day 1 Results
Singles
Aleksandra Golawska def. Ali Garrity, 6-4, 6-4
Isabella Spindler def. Ivana Boberic, 6-4, 6-3
Jana Schober def. Mitsuki Fukamachi, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7)
Victoria Bensimon def. Rina Sakai, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (7)
Princess Gbadamosi def. Natalie Weaver, 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (2)
Blanche Lenoan def. Julia Dunbar, 6-3, 6-1
Katy Quillin def. Ann Phillips, 6-4
Morgan Nix def. Juliana Goehner, 6-2
Doubles
Golawska/Spindler def. Lackova/Macias, 6-4
Bensimon/Schober def. Nsimba/Stroe, 7-6 (4)
Gbadamosi/Lenoan def. Sahni/Eckman, 6-4
