Tennis survives rematch against Youngstown State

The Pitt women’s tennis team answered an early-season loss with a bit of sweet… The Pitt women’s tennis team answered an early-season loss with a bit of sweet revengeWednesday afternoon. The Panthers defeated Youngstown State 5-2 in a heated match that was much like their 4-3 loss in the fall to the same team.

During their triumphant match at home, the Panthers played what head coach George Dieffenbach called some of their best tennis of the year.

At No. 2 doubles, Pitt’s Becky Emmers and Annie Davies won the deciding doubles match, clinching the doubles point for the Panthers. Emmers and Davies took on Whitney Thomas and Michelle Fuleky of the Penguins and beat them 8-6.

“It was a defining moment in the match,” Dieffenbach said. “We needed this win, and they got the job done, big time.”

Emmers and Davies also extended their winning streak to nine matches in a row with the win.

The Panthers’ Jill Williams and Emily Hughes played at No. 1 doubles and lost to Karen Najbert and Gina Peretti 8-6. At No. 3 doubles, Friedman and Smith were the first team to finish their match and beat the Penguins’ Emily Thayer and Nicole Muzechuk 8-2.

“They started the match with a win, which is a good sign. It gave the rest of the team confidence.” Dieffenbach said.

Their confidence spread into singles play, where the Panthers captured four of the six matches.

At the No. 1 spot, Williams got another chance at Najbert, losing in the first set, but coming back to take the next two and win the match 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

“Jill played very well in this match,” Dieffenbach said. “It was a strong win against a tough opponent.”

Emmers played a consistent match at No. 2 against Thomas. Emmers won the match 6-4, 6-0 and notched her fourth straight win.

“She moved the ball around, had a lot of drop-shots and played one of her best matches of the year,” Dieffenbach said.

Davies matched up against Peretti in the third singles match and defeated her with strong, offensive tennis in a match that ended 6-2, 6-1. Dieffenbach was impressed with the way she controlled the net and said she played aggressively, had lots of winners and very good, strong shots. Davies is now 13-7 for the season.

Friedman lost to Muzechuk in No. 4 singles 6-3, 6-3, but still maintains a winning record for the season of 13-8. Hughes is now holding a 15-5 record at the No. 5 spot, as she defeated Thayer in a lively match that ended 6-4, 6-2.

“[Hughes] hit a lot of second serves, did a good job of coming into the net, controlled the points and controlled the offense,” Dieffenbach said. “She hustled a lot to keep control of the match.”

Smith dropped a match at No. 6, against Fuleky 6-2, 6-3. Smith, with an 11-7 record, lost, but Dieffenbach saw improvement in her play.

“She played with intelligence,” he said. “It was steady, aggressive tennis and she is progressing.”

The Panthers are now back at .500 with a 6-6 record, and Dieffenbach said things are looking up. Youngstown had just come off two strong wins, and there could be no better time for the Panthers to turn things around, as they will be moving into the heart of their season.

“We’re going to be playing teams like Seton Hall and Rutgers soon, so we will use this momentum toward these tougher matches,” Dieffenbach said.

Pitt will travel down Forbes Avenue to Carnegie Mellon next to take on the Tartans at 3 p.m. on March 30.

“CMU has a good team, but we have some time to get ready before that match,” said Dieffenbach, who went on to say of the Panthers, “The team is learning the right balance of offense and consistency. Our training and hard work is paying off.”