Pitt tennis continues hot start

For the Pitt women’s tennis team, let’s just say it’s been a while.

The Panthers are off to… For the Pitt women’s tennis team, let’s just say it’s been a while.

The Panthers are off to their first 5-0 start since 1992 after a pair of home wins against Seton Hall and St. Bonaventure over the weekend.

‘This is one of the best teams I’ve ever had,’ said Pitt Coach George Dieffenbach, who is in his 28th season with Pitt.

Elizabeth Adams is one of the reasons why.

Adams, a sophomore, won all four of her matches over the weekend, making her 10-0 on the year. She came back in a No. 1 singles matchup to win on Friday, then dominated her competition on Sunday to take both.

Another strong point for the Panthers has been sophomore Adela Aprodu, who won on Friday to clinch the match against Seton Hall. Dieffenbach said that to start as well as Pitt has in conference play gives his team something to be proud of.

‘Seton Hall is a great team,’ said Dieffenbach. ‘This was a real good win for us to start out 3-0 in the conference.’

Senior Christie D’Achille won her 97th career match Friday by winning at doubles with junior Sabrina Visram, but she injured her ankle and did not play on Sunday. Her injury hurts the Panthers, as only 11 other players have reached the 97 win-mark in school history.

One of those team members is senior Kristy Borza, who whipped Vanessa Rumpel of St. Bonaventure at No. 3 singles 6-0, 6-0 on Sunday.

‘Borza has broken every record at this University,’ said Dieffenbach. ‘When Borza is fully healthy, she will probably move up in the lineup.’

Freshman Minh Evans picked up her first win as a Panther Sunday with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ana Delado. Dieffenbach said that since Delado is such a young player, she’ll likely really benefit from the win.

‘This win will probably give her confidence going into the upcoming matches,’ he said.

Pitt next travels to Washington to face Georgetown (0-4) on Saturday and George Mason (2-2) on Sunday.