The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
MAC Match Play Challenge
Akron Defeats Northern Illinois in Opening Round of MAC Match Play Challenge
February 13 | Women's Golf
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Lakewood Ranch, Fla. – The UA women's golf team won its quarterfinal match against Northern Illinois at the Mid-American Conference Match Play Challenge hosted by Bowling Green. The Zips earned a 4 to 1 victory at par-72 6,068-yard Royal Lakes Golf Course at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club.
"I was proud of our strong play today against a good NIU team," head coach Jenny King said. "The difference in the end was converting our birdie putts and getting up and down. We are looking forward to another challenge tomorrow against Oakland."
Danielle Nicholson (Geneva, Ohio), Pader Her (Holt, Mich.), Makayla Dull (Fremont, Ohio), and Allyson Wentworth (Stewartsville, N.J.) all posted opening round wins while Alejandra Velasco-Villanueva (Guadalajara, Mexico) fell 3&2.
Nicholson defeated NIU's Brielle Ward with a 6&5 performance. The reining MAC champion won he second played hole (No. 11), but fell back to all-square on hole No. 12. The following two holes were evenly played before Nicholson pulled away. She posted a win on hole No. 15 and followed with back-to-back wins on 17 and 18 to move 3up, heading into the front-9.
On the front, Nicholson added two more wins on holes No. 1 and 2, placing Ward in a position to win the third hole. Both, Nicholson and Ward, recorded par scores and the match ended with Nicholson on top 6UP with five holes remaining.
Her followed with a 2&1 win, defeating Lena Gautier. Her played the initial nine holes even until Gautier established a win on No. 18. On the front, Her battled back with a win on hole No. 1 to even the match and taking a lead two holes later. Her posted a third win on the fifth hole. Gautier claimed hole No. 7 to cut Her's advantage to 1UP, but Her carded a birdie on No. 8 to put the match away.
Dull and Wentworth also added to the Zips' total with a pair of 3&2 wins. Dull established an early lead on the opening hole, but Kelly Anderson evened the match shortly after and the two players played all-square through 12 holes until Dull rattled-off three-straight wins. Dull won holes No. 4-6 for the 3UP lead with three holes to play. Both, Dull and Anderson scored even on hole No. 8, giving Dull the 3&2 win.
Wentworth grabbed her three-hole advantage by the fifth played hole (No. 15). She carried the 3UP score to the front-9, but fell to 2UP as Lexi Salberg cut the deficit on hole No. 1. Wentworth immediately pushed the lead back to 3UP, but dropped hole No. 5 for a two-hole cushion. Wentworth regained the three-hole advantage on No. 7 where the match ended.
Velsasco-Villanueva fell behind to Isabella Samudio on the sixth played hole (No. 15) and never fully recovered. Samudio extended the lead to as many as 4UP before Velsaco-Villanueva posted a winner on hole No. 5. The two played even over the next two holes with Samudio walking away with a 3&2 advantage.
The Zips will play Oakland tomorrow in the semifinal round of the MAC Match Play Challenge, beginning at 8:25 a.m. on the No. 1 tee. Akron lineup remains the same as Wentworth is scheduled to tee-off at 8:25 a.m. followed by Velasco-Villanueva (8:32), Dull (8:39), Her (8:46), and Nicholson (8:53).
Players Mentioned
