The University of Akron Athletics
Tennis Heads To BGSU Invitational
September 14 | Women's Tennis
– The University of Akron tennis team will continue its
fall schedule this weekend in Bowling Green, Ohio, at the BGSU
Invitational. The two-day, eight-team event will be held on
Saturday and Sunday, and will be the first-ever event at Bowling
Green's new varsity tennis courts. Play will begin each day at 9
a.m. EDT.
Scheduled to join BGSU and UA in the event are Bradley, Cleveland
State, Detroit, Toledo, Xavier and Youngstown State. The event will
consist of seven flights of singles and four flights of
doubles.
Akron had a strong start to its season last weekend at the Martha
Thorne Invitational at West Virginia University. The Zips advanced
athletes to the championship match of "A" doubles, "B" doubles and
"C" singles. Additionally, UA was the only squad in the five-team
field to go undefeated (5-0) in doubles play on Friday as well as
having the best overall record (10-1) in the tournament's first
day. Akron also finished with eight semifinalists out of a possible
12 entries in the competition.
Pacing UA at the Thorne Invite was senior Laura
Hemlepp (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson HS), who started her
final season in the blue and gold with one of the best showings of
her collegiate career – advancing to the "C" singles final and
partnering with junior Kerry Langworthy (Harare, Zimbabwe/Gateway
HS) to reach the "B" doubles title round.
Senior Amy Sherlock (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada/Sacred
Heart HS) and junior Tanyaradzwa Gombera (Harare,
Zimbabwe/Chisipite Senior HS) teamed up to advance to the
championship match of the "A" doubles flight. Sherlock also claimed
the "A" singles consolation match.
UA's two freshmen made impressive debuts over the weekend. Carolina
Castro Cota (Bogota, Colombia/Ervid Integral HS) had what was
arguably the team's most impressive singles win of the weekend, as
she posted an exciting 7-5, 7-5 quarterfinal win over West
Virginia's Monica Lyskawa. Over the last three seasons, Lyskawa has
played between Nos. 1 and 3 singles for the Mountaineers.
The Zips' other freshman, Jeremie
Benjamin (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central HS), went 3-1 in
singles play and 2-2 in "B" doubles with partner junior Alyssa
Carlson (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran HS). In her three
singles victories Benjamin dropped just five games.
Akron, which does not have a competition at home this fall, will
take part in the Spartan Invitational at Michigan State on Sept.
29-30.
