The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Tennis Finalizes 2016-17 Schedule
August 16 | Women's Tennis
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AKRON, Ohio — Hosting a fall tournament, participating in the Oracle/ITA Masters Tournament, and visiting Big Ten opponent Northwestern during the spring season highlight the 2016-17 schedule for the Zips' women's tennis program, head coach Brandon Padgett announced on Tuesday.
Akron starts the fall component of its schedule at the Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sept. 16-17. On Sept. 23-26, the squad will host the Akron Shootout. Along with UA, the field will include student-athletes from Cleveland State, Siena, and Youngstown State. UA then travels to Dayton, Ohio on Sept. 30 to partake in the Wright State Invitational before heading back north for the Cleveland State Invitational on Oct. 7.
Junior Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) is set to contend in the 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters on October 13-16 in Malibu, Calif. This national collegiate championship event will be held at Pepperdine University and the Malibu Racquet Club. The competition will feature the top returning player from each Division I athletic conference, with one additional wild card spot. The tournament will consist of a double elimination 32-player women's singles draw, along with a single elimination 32-team mixed doubles draw.
The Zips will also compete in the ITA Regional Championships, hosted by Michigan State, on Oct. 20-25. Akron's fall schedule concludes at the Youngstown State Invitational on Nov. 4-6.
"I am excited about our schedule this year," Padgett said. "We are playing in five new tournaments this fall, which is always exciting. Having the opportunity for some of our players to compete at the site of the Western and Southern Financial Professional Tournament at the Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Invitational is amazing, but the highlight has to be the Oracle/ITA Masters Tournament. Ari being invited to that event is not only special for her but also for our program."
UA's spring schedule features 10 home matches however, the Zips open their campaign with six-straight away contests. Akron travels to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern (Jan. 14) and Chicago State (Jan.15) before heading to YSU (Jan. 27) and Big 12 competitor West Virginia on Jan. 28.
"Opening up the spring season at Northwestern is an outstanding opportunity for us, and it certainly helps bring up the level of difficulty for our spring schedule," Padgett continued. "Preparation for the MAC season is most important, and I feel that our spring schedule helps us fully prepare for that. We will be playing many of the same teams that our conference opponents play, which will prove vital from an information gathering standpoint."
The Zips open up the month of February with road stints against Niagara and St. Bonaventure (Feb. 4). Akron begins its home slate on Feb. 11 with matches against ASA College (10 a.m.) and Morgan State (1 p.m.). UA returns to the road for three consecutive matches with Long Island University (Feb. 17), Saint Peter's (Feb. 18), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (Feb. 18).
Akron hosts Duquesne on Friday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. and Cleveland State on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. On March 4, Akron plays at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in the morning before taking on Valparaiso in an afternoon match. After having over a week off, the Zips will entertain Milwaukee on March 18 and Binghamton on March 19 with both matches starting at 10 a.m.
The Zips open Mid-American Conference play at Toledo (March 24) before hosting Eastern Michigan in their MAC home opener (March 26). UA then journeys to Georgia to face off against Padgett's former team Kennesaw State on Tuesday, March 28. The Zips make a visit to Buffalo (March 9) and return home for a match against Miami (Ohio) for a 1 p.m. contest on April 2.
"We mix in a trip to New York City, which I have been promising to our seniors," Padgett concluded. "Then we take a quick trip to Atlanta during spring break, which makes for an exciting, competitive, and well balanced schedule."
UA hosts Northern Illinois on Friday, April 7, before traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich., to meet Western Michigan (April 9). Next, Akron takes on Bowling Green in its final home match on Sunday, April 16 at 1 p.m. The Zips close out its spring season at Ball State on Saturday, April 22.
The 2017 MAC Championships are slated for April 28-30 at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
The 2017 NCAA Championships will be held May 18-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Led by the 2016 MAC Player of the Year, Blinova helped the Zips closed the 2015-16 season with a 15-10 overall record (5-3 MAC).
Players Mentioned
