Pitt tennis sweeps two opponents

So much for home-court advantage.

One week after suffering its first loss of the season to… So much for home-court advantage.

One week after suffering its first loss of the season to Marshall, the Pitt tennis team went on the road Friday and Saturday, sweeping both St. Bonaventure and Mercyhurst in their own venues.

In the consecutive shutouts of their opponents, the Panthers never once needed an extra set to determine a match.

Pitt opened the weekend on Friday by defeating the Bonnies, 9-0.

In doubles action, Panther freshman Kristy Borza and sophomore Leah Friedman opened the match with an impressive 8-1 victory over the St. Bonaventure duo of Anna Perevenzetseva and Ana Delgado.

Pitt co-captains Emily Hughes and Becky Emmers followed suit by shutting out their opponents, Bonnies’ captain Jasmine Jaysingh and teammate Kathleen Riley, 8-0.

Later in the afternoon, Borza, playing in the No. 1 singles spot, once again defeated St. Bonaventure’s Perevenzetseva, 6-2, 6-0. Hughes followed Borza’s triumph with another one of her own, ending Jaysingh’s three-match winning streak in a tightly contested match, 6-4, 7-5.

Another close match took place in the fourth spot between Pitt junior Annie Davies and the Bonnies’ Delgado. Davies eventually won the match after Delgado forced the second set into extra games, 6-3, 7-6.

Panther sophomore Carlie Smith ended the day in impressive fashion, with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Kathleen Riley.

The Panthers followed up their match with St. Bonaventure by sweeping Mercyhurst, 9-0, on Saturday afternoon.

The doubles team of Borza and Friedman once again opened the day with a Pitt victory, defeating the Lakers’ Natalie Paparella and Jamie Sutyak with a score of 8-0.

The tandem of Panther freshman Kim Harclerode and Smith triumphed in the following two doubles matches by scores of 8-3 and 8-4.

Harclerode didn’t stop there. She then went on to defeat Mercyhurst’s Jennifer Daly 6-4, 6-0 in the second singles spot.

Borza once again dominated in the No. 1 singles spot, defeating Paparella in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.

Following Annie Davies’ 6-2, 6-3 victory over the Lakers’ Jaclyn McLean in the third spot, Pitt didn’t allow Mercyhurst to win another game in the final two matches of the day.

In the fourth position, Emily Hughes swept her match against the Lakers’ Christine Mersch, 6-0, 6-0. Carlie Smith followed by once again concluding the day with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout, this time over Maria Franco.

Pitt will return home to Club 4 Life Recreational Center on Saturday to take on Georgetown. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.