What is not mentioned in this story is that Miami and Akron are both in the MAC. Why would Akron release a player they recruited so an adversary could have her. If they felt strongly that she was a great player why would they want to have to face her.
Would they have released her if she went to another conference? I doubt it, however they have to face Miami in conference play 3 times a year, then maybe again in the MAC tournament.