AKRON, Ohio – The IUPUI women’s tennis team looked for a weekend sweep in the state of Ohio Saturday afternoon but fell to a talented Akron Zips squad, 6-1.
 
The loss dropped the Jags to 1-6, who captured their first win of the season on Feb. 3 against Youngstown State, while the Zips improved to 3-0.
 
“This was the best we’ve ever played Akron,” said head coach Cameron Currie. “Our freshman came out and pulled out a win and everybody competed from start to finish.”
 
The win Coach Currie was referring to came at the No. 5 singles spot. Abbey Neff fell by a 6-1 margin in the opening set, but bounced back with a convincing 6-3 second-set win sending the match into a third-set tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Neff picked up a break and used that to her advantage claiming a 10-8 win in the tiebreaker.
 
Prior to Neff’s win, the Jags dropped the doubles point to fall behind 1-0, before falling in the first four singles matches.
 
Despite the losses, the Jags had a chance to claim another win at No. 3 singles when Shelby Hullett rebounded from a 6-1 opening-set loss to win the second set, 7-6 (2). Unfortunately for Hullett, the tiebreaker in the third set wasn’t as kind as the second as she dropped the third-set decision, 10-5.
 
Rounding out singles play, Jesika Bays fell at the sixth singles spot 6-2, 6-0, as Akron finalized its 6-1 win.

IUPUI continues its road trip next weekend when it takes on both Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Green Bay on Feb. 10 in Milwaukee.
 
Akron 6, IUPUI 1
Doubles
No. 1 – Zara Harutyunyan/Prang Pantusart (UA) def. Alisha Cummings/Rachael Bridegroom (IUPUI) – 8-2
No. 2  - Angelika Jogasuria/Angelina Jogasuria (UA) def. Danielle Haefele/Shelby Hullett (IUPUI) – 8-2
No. 3 – Olga Shkundina/Ksenia Berestetska (UA) def. Vanessa Whyte/Abbey Neff (IUPUI) – 8-4
 
Singles
No. 1 – Harutyunyan (UA) def. Cummings (IUPUI) – 6-0, 3-0 ret.
No. 2 – Shkundina (UA) def. Haefele (IUPUI) – 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 - Angelika Jogasuria (UA) def. Hullett (IUPUI) – 6-1, 6-7 (2), 1-0 (10-5)
No. 4 - Berestetska (UA) def. Whyte (IUPUI) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 – Neff (IUPUI) def. Natalia Kuvakina (UA) – 1-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
No. 6 – Angelina Jogasuria (UA) def. Jesika Bays (IUPUI) – 6-2, 6-0