The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Muirfield Collegiate Invitational @ Ohio State (clay courts)
Harutyunyan and Pantusart Win Doubles at Muirfield Invitational
September 18 | Women's Tennis
Singles Final Results | Doubles Final Results
COLUMBUS – The University of Akron pair of Zara Harutyunyan and Prang Pantusart claimed the title of the doubles main draw, and Harutyunyan competed in the singles main draw championship on Sunday in the final day of the Muirfield Collegiate Tennis Invitational. The three-day clay courts event was hosted by Ohio State at The Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
"For our first tournament of the season, and the fact that we were playing on clay, I am extremely pleased with our overall play this weekend," second-year Akron head coach Brandon Padgett said. "Each player had some ups and downs, but collectively it was a successful trip and we were pleased to win the doubles draw, and have a singles finalist."
Harutyunyan and Pantusart topped Eastern Michigan's Miriam Westerink and Nino Mebuke 8-5 in the doubles final, after disposing of the nation's 60th-ranked pair of Becca Shine and Julia Fellerhoff of Louisville 8-6 in Saturday night's semifinal round. In addition to being nationally ranked, Shine and Fellerhoff comprised the top-seeded duo in the bracket.
Harutyunyan, the top-seeded singles player in the field and ranked 118th nationally, faced off against Fellerhoff in today's singles main draw finale, falling 6-4, 7-5. Harutyunyan got the best of Shine 6-2, 6-3 in semifinal play. Fellerhoff defeated Pantusart 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (9) in the other singles semifinal, eliminating the chance at an all-Akron meeting in the championship.
"Prang and Zara played doubles together for the first time and it was obviously a successful venture," Padgett said. "They will be playing together at the Riviera/ITA Championships in California (in October), and this weekend's tournament was an extremely challenging grouping of matches for them."
Also representing the Zips at this weekend's event was true freshman Olga Shkundina and sophomore transfer Ksenia Berestetska. Shkundina lost to Fellerhoff 7-6, 6-4 in Saturday's singles quarterfinal, but went on to score a 6-3, 7-5 win in consolation play against Kentucky's Jessica Stiles. Also in the consolation bracket, Berestetska won 6-2, 6-1 over Ball State's Lauren Pickrel and lost 6-2, 6-0 to Westerink.
Shkundina and Berestetska teamed up in doubles as well. After an 8-5 loss to Ohio State's Kelsey Dieters and Kara Cecil in Saturday's main draw quarterfinals, they defeated Pickrel and Sarah Hebble from Ball State in the consolation flight.
Akron continues the fall component of its schedule this Friday-Sunday at the Spartan Invitational at Michigan State.
