Lady Pens Pick Up Impressive Win Over Akron, 5-2

by YSU

Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 9:15 am

Boardman - The Youngstown State women's tennis team defeated Akron 5-2 on Saturday night at the Boardman Tennis Center. The Penguins earned their first win over the Zips since 2000.

YSU (3-3) started the night off strong to earn the doubles point. The Penguins won at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to take a 1-0 lead over the Zips.

In doubles play, YSU won at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles to clinch the 5-2 victory.

At No. 1, Margarita Sadovnikova won in straight sets over Karolina Maksimava, 6-1, 6-3. At No. 2, Burak picked up a win when Olga Shkundina retired late in the first set.

At No. 3 singles, the Guins picked up a straight set win as Annina Brendel defeated Martina Zerbola, 6-2, 6-4. Dominicka Lackova picked up a key point with a three-set triumph over Shannon Newnes, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8. The Zips (7-2) earned wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

Head Coach Mickael Sopel was excited to see the Penguins are starting to find their stride.

"Annina clinched the win for us at No. 3 and overall we just played great," Sopel said. "I am very happy with the way we competed today. We are getting stronger after each match and that win is very important to our team. It is also another step forward for the program. Akron has a tremendous program and we have not beaten them in a long time."

The Penguins return to action on Feb. 20 when they take on Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla. The match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Youngstown State 5, Akron 2

Singles
No. 1 - Sadovnikova (YSU) def. Karolina Maksimava (UA) - 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 - Burak (YSU) def. Olga Shkundina (UA) - 5-2, ret.
No. 3 - Brendel (YSU) def. Martina Zerbola (UA) - 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 - Lackova (YSU) def. Shannon Newnes (UA) 6-2, 5-7, 10-8
No. 5 - Ksenia Berestetska (UA) def. Sahni (YSU) - 6-2, 6-0
No. 6 - Caroline Harpaintner (UA) def. Puppo (YSU) - 6-3, 6-4

Doubles
No. 1 - Burak/Sadovnikova (YSU)  def. Shkundina/Newnes (UA) - 8-5
No. 2 - Brendel/Lackova (YSU) def. Zerbola/Berestetska (UA) - 8-5
No. 3 - Jesko/Sahni (YSU) vs. Harpaintner/Maksimava (UA) - unfinished

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