Tennis beats Bucknell, readies for Duquesne

Pitt tennis dropped only three games in as many doubles matches Tuesday on their way to a… Pitt tennis dropped only three games in as many doubles matches Tuesday on their way to a convincing victory at Bucknell, 5-2.

Led by the tandem of Kristy Borza and Elizabeth Adams, the Panthers dominated the Bison.

Borza and Adams set the tone with an easy 8-0 victory over Bucknell’s Paulina Gamboa and Carlin Carlcaterra at one doubles.

At second doubles, sophomore Sabrina Visram and junior Christie D’Achille chipped in with an 8-3 triumph over Lauren Lucido and Dara Dwojewski.

Carlie Smith and Leah Friedman rounded it out with another 8-0 victory over Caity Baffa and Renee Weissand, securing the doubles point for the Panthers.

“That doubles point is very important,” Pitt coach George Dieffenbach said. “We became very aggressive in the doubles,”

The ladies turned to singles to close out the match. Borza cruised to a 6-0, 7-6 (3) win over Gamboa. Borza, the Panthers’ all-time-wins leader, was tested in the second set but showed poise to secure the point. Adams, Borza’s doubles partner, transitioned their shutout doubles victory with a rare 6-0, 6-0 win over Carlcaterra, capping off a flawless day on the court.

“Adams came to play today,” Borza said. “In college there are no easy matches, and it takes special focus to double-bagel someone. At the college level it just doesn’t happen that much.”

Bucknell, who plays in the Patriot League, got its two lone points in singles play.

Visram lost at second singles 0-6, 6-7 (3) to Lucido. Co-captain Smith also lost at five singles, giving the Bison their second and final point with a 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 loss at the hands of Lauren Rottkamp.

Despite those losses, D’Achille recovered for Pitt after dropping the first set to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.Senior co-captain Friedman won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, to clinch the match with a passing shot.

Dieffenbach, who was impressed by Bucknell’s tough play, was happy with the win, praising the exceptional play of Adams.

“Adams was on fire,” he said. “She’s been racking up a lot of wins this year at that spot.”

The crucial point in the match, though, remained the doubles point at the match’s opening. Borza admitted to feeling more relaxed in singles after the first point is secured and said it “pumped” up the team. Being able to count on the doubles point has been important for the Panthers throughout the season, helping them come through with wins in close matches.

“It’s given us a lot of confidence and rolled over into singles,” Borza said.

The Panthers will look to draw on their final road victory of the year to finish the year out strong.

“Today’s match is a momentum builder and intensity builder,” Dieffenbach said.

The match was originally scheduled for this past Sunday but delayed because of bad weather.

The rescheduling forced the Panthers to play back-to-back matches, hosting Duquesne yesterday at Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa.

The Panthers have now won seven of their last eight matches after spring break, when they lost three consecutive matches in California.

After taking on cross-town rival Duquesne on Wednesday, the team heads to Tampa, Fla., for the Big East Championships.

“We look for big things against Duquesne,” Dieffenbach said.