CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior Edie Hammond and graduate student Martina Marušinová emerged as champions at the Horizon League Individual Championship, winning the doubles title on Sunday, Oct. 4, in Cleveland, Ohio, and securing a spot in the ITA Conference Masters Championships.

The championship marks Oakland's second Horizon League Individual Championship title, as junior Martyna Piechowicz won the singles title in 2025.

Hosted by Cleveland State, the third annual tournament featured a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Hammond and Marušinová entered as the No. 1-ranked doubles team, while Marušinová was also ranked No. 1 in singles.

Hammond and Marušinová opened doubles on Friday with an 8-0 sweep against Milwaukee's Karolina Skowronska and Nikola Nikolajeva. The top-seeded duo battled through a tight quarterfinal Saturday, defeating Northern Illinois' Rebecca Garcia Miralles and Sophia Shiyakhta, 9-8 (6).

The semifinal was more decisive, as Hammond and Marušinová earned an 8-3 win over the No. 4-ranked team from Northern Illinois, Natalia Varela Herrera and Lucia Yecora.

Oakland reached the Horizon League doubles final for the first time, where Hammond and Marušinová faced Cleveland State's Laura Tapia and Anna McKnight in the championship game. In a tightly contested championship, the Golden Grizzlies prevailed with a 9-7 victory.

Sophomore Oliwia Klimas and Piechowicz also advanced to the semifinals after defeating the No. 3-ranked team from Northern Illinois in the opening round and Cleveland State in the quarterfinals. The pair fell to Tapia and McKnight, 8-5, in the semifinal match. Junior Nisa Bulut and senior Emilia Jarvinen opened with a 8-2 win over Youngstown State before falling to the eventual runner-ups, 8-1, in the quarterfinals.

In singles play, Marušinová, Piechowicz, Hammond, and Bulut each won their opening-round matches. Klimas fell to the eventual champion, No. 5 Irmak Budak of Northern Illinois, while No. 7-ranked Natalia Castaneda defeated freshman Isabella Jaray.

Freshmen Alison Doka and Michelle Berkovich competed in the singles back draw. Doka fell to No. 6-ranked Skowronska after losing to Bulut, while Berkovich beat Milwaukee's Honoka Yamashita.

Hammond posted Oakland's top single result, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Garcia Miralles, 6-2, 6-1.

With the doubles victory, Hammond and Marušinová will travel to Rome, Ga., for the ITA Conference Masters Championships. The event will be held Nov. 5-8 at the Rome Tennis Center on Berry College's campus, where the Golden Grizzlies will compete for an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship.

DOUBLES RESULTS
Round of 16
No. 1 Hammond/Marušinová def. Skowronska/Nikolajeva (Milwaukee), 8-0
Klimas/Piechowicz def. No. 3 Kousiou/Storkaas (Northern Illinois), 8-2
Bulut/Jarvinen def. No. 2 Telzynska/Buqai (Youngstown State), 8-2

Quarterfinals
No. 1 Hammond/Marušinová def. Garcia Miralles/Shiyakhta (Northern Illinois), 9-8 (6)
Klimas/Piechowicz def. Mancion/Geisz (Cleveland State), 8-4
Tapia/McKnight (Cleveland State) def. Bulut/Jarvinen, 8-1

Semifinals
No. 1 Hammond/Marušinová def. No. 4 Varela Herrera/Yecora (Northern Illinois), 8-3
Tapia/McKnight (Cleveland State) def. Klimas/Piechowicz, 8-5

Finals
No. 1 Hammond/Marušinová def. Tapia/McKnight (Cleveland State), 9-7

SINGLES RESULTS
Round of 32
No. 1 Marušinová def. Kadzinski (IU Indy): 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 Budak (Northern Illinois) def. Klimas: 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Piechowicz def. Redmile (Cleveland State): 6-3, 6-4
Hammond def. Buqai (Youngstown State): 6-3, 6-2
Bulut def. No. 6 Skowronska (Milwaukee): 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 7 Castaneda (Milwaukee) def. Jaray: 3-6, 6-1, 6-3

Round of 16
Kousiou (Northern Illinois) def. No. 1 Marušinová: 0-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3
No. 4 Telzynska (Youngstown State) def. Piechowicz: 7-5, 0-6, 6-3
Hammond def. No. 3 Valera Herrera (Northern Illinois): 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-0
Garcia Miralles (Northern Illinois) def. Bulut: 3-6, 6-1, 6-3

Quarterfinals
Garcia Miralles (Northern Illinois) def. Hammond: 6-2, 6-1

More information on the singles and doubles back draw can be found on Cleveland State's website.

UP NEXT: Oakland heads down I-75 to compete in the Wayne State Doubles Invite on Oct. 24 at the Doris J. & Donald L. Duchene, Sr. Athletic Facility in Detroit.

How to Follow Oakland Women's Tennis: For complete information on Oakland Women's Tennis, follow the team on Instagram and on X at @OaklandWTennis.