CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's tennis team hosted Akron in their 2014 home opener Saturday evening, falling to the Zips, 6-1.
"It was a tough match for us today, this was a solid Akron team and you could definitely tell that we are still working on some things with both our doubles and singles lineup," assistant coach Frank Polito said. "I am very proud of the way the team competed today, we just weren't able to get it done. We lost three three-set singles matches, and had a chance to win at doubles, but just weren't able to close out those points. Hopefully we can improve some things before our next match, and keep moving in the right direction."
Kara Sherwood was the lone Viking to pick up a point against the Zips, earning a 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (5) victory at No. 2 singles. The victory was the first of the spring season for Sherwood, improving her singles record to 7-8 on the year.
Although the Zips were able to clinch the first point of the match with a pair of doubles victories, CSU was able to come away with a win at the No. 3 spot, as Princess Gbadamosi and Alex Power earned a 6-1 victory – their first win of the season.
Akron then picked up victories at No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 singles to close out the 6-1 match victory.
The Vikings will hit the road again next weekend, traveling to Michigan State (Friday, Jan. 31) and Ball State (Saturday, Feb. 1).
Akron 6, Cleveland State 1
Doubles:
1. Shkundina/Newnes (UA) def. Sherwood/Bush (CSU), 6-3
2. Cohen/Zerbola (UA) def. Orange/Folkers (CSU), 7-5
3. Gbadamosi/Power (CSU) def. Maksimava/Berestetska (UA), 6-1
Singles:
1. Olga Shkundina (UA) def. Princess Gbadamosi (CSU), 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (1)
2. Kara Sherwood (CSU) def. Martina Zerbola (UA), 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (5)
3. Madison Cohen (UA) def. Alex Power (CSU), 7-6 (3), 6-2
4. Ksenia Berestetska (UA) def. Alex Bush (CSU), 7-5, 6-3
5. Karalina Maksimava (UA) def. Mathilde Orange (CSU), 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (8)
6. Shannon Newnes (UA) def. Ellen Folkers (CSU), 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (6)
