With the loss of Miami and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the race for the… With the loss of Miami and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the race for the six spots in the Big East women’s tennis tournament this spring looks to be a bit more crowded than usual.

Head coach George Dieffenbach and the Panthers want to be a part of that race, and they started off on the right foot, defeating Niagara in their season opener Sunday at Washington’s Landing. The Panthers won five singles matches on their way to a 5-2 victory.

Things looked a bit shaky at the beginning of the day, as Pitt dropped the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches with identical 1-8 scores. But Jill Williams and Michele Petrasko teamed up for a victory in the No. 3 doubles match, beating Julianne Prokopich and Jacquelyn Cary 8-2.

“It’s good to have her back,” Dieffenbach said of Williams, who took last year off.

She later added a singles victory to her doubles win, defeating Prokopich 6-0, 6-3 at No. 5.

The momentum the Purple Eagles gained from doubles play was halted as the Panthers’ singles attack proved to be more than Niagara could handle.

Junior Emily Hughes bounced back nicely from her loss at second doubles (with partner Leah Friedman), winning 6-0 in straight sets over Niagara’s Katie Shaw at No. 4 singles, while Annie Davies bounced back from the doubles loss (with Becky Emmers) to add a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kendra Daigler at No. 2.

“Niagara is a very good team; we’ve never played them before,” said Dieffenbach, impressed with his team’s composure during singles play. “They’re well coached, and they play with a lot of intensity and teamwork. To beat a team like that speaks well of his players.”

The strong play of three freshmen greatly helped the Panthers’ cause. In addition to Petrasko’s doubles win, Carlie Smith won the No. 6 singles match 6-1, 6-2, while Leah Friedman sent Cary to her second loss of the day, gutting out a 6-4, 7-5 victory at No. 3 singles. Seeing freshmen with such poise may surprise a lot of people, but not Coach Dieffenbach.

“They’re all experienced competitors,” he said, citing their success through tournaments at the high school and USTA developmental levels.

Wins from first-year players can only encourage a Panther team looking to replace the talent of departing players Hayley Hughes and Laura Pegula, who graduated this past spring.

Becky Emmers took the Panthers’ only loss in singles play, falling to Marian Al Shikarchy, who earlier had teamed with Danielle Greiner for the win over Emmers and Davies at No. 1 doubles, 3-6, 0-6.

Shikarchy, undefeated on the year in both singles and doubles play, was one of the Purple Eagles’ bright spots on an otherwise disappointing road trip to Pittsburgh, which also saw them drop a 4-3 decision to Duquesne on Saturday. The loss against Pitt lowers Niagara’s record to 0-2, while the Panthers are 1-0 on the young fall season.

The Panthers are back in action this weekend, traveling to the banks of the Hudson for West Point’s Women’s Eastern Collegiate tournament, hosted by Army. They will continue to play various tournaments (along with a few dual matches) throughout the fall before beginning Big East play next February. But the Panthers will not be taking these matches lightly.

“Fall is just as important [as the spring],” Dieffenbach said.

The Panthers will play quality opponents in the tournaments they participate in, including some foes they will encounter in the spring season.

“We have to work hard to qualify for the Big East Championship.”