Pitt takes season series from Youngstown State

The fierce competition at the Pitt women’s tennis meet could be heard throughout the Oxford… The fierce competition at the Pitt women’s tennis meet could be heard throughout the Oxford Athletic Center in Monroeville, Pa., Wednesday, as Pitt swept the season series with Youngstown State, 5-2, to improve to 8-2 overall on the season.

Earlier in the season, the tennis team defeated Youngstown State, 4-3, in Youngstown, Ohio. One of those three losses came in Hayley Hughes’ match. Yesterday, she avenged her loss from earlier in the year with a straight-set win, 7-5 and 6-3.

“I hadn’t played this well since before spring break,” Hughes said. “I was putting the ball away more, closing out points and making less unforced errors.”

The meet didn’t start the way the Panthers had hoped. Pitt lost the one team point given to the winner of the three doubles matches. Emmers and Danielle Shuttleworth had the lone victory in doubles action with an 8-4 win.

In non-conference matches, the players on the court are also the line judges. Official line judges are only called in for Big East competition. Becky Emmers’ match against Heather Hagood grew so intense on court two that some questionable calls forced both teams’ coaches to bring players from the bench to come judge the match.

Emmers, who won the first set 7-5, found herself up 5-2 in the second set. Hagood took the next four games to take a 6-5 lead in the set, before Emmers sent the set into a tiebreak, which Emmers won, 11-9, to prevail in the match.

A couple of times during the tiebreak, both Emmers and Hagood seemed to get rattled on the court by close line calls. In the end though, Emmers believes she kept her cool better then her opponent and that her composure won her the match.

“[Hagood] got too involved in the calls,” Emmers said. “I won the mental game. Line calls are a part of college tennis.”

A Pitt victory came on court three, where Anne Davies won in straight sets 6-4 and 6-3. After losing in her doubles match, Davies was determined to win her singles match.

“I was just trying to be consistent,” Davies said. “My opponent wasn’t fast, so I tried to move the ball around the court.”

In the best match of the day, Emily Hughes won in three sets, 6-7 (5-7). 7-6 (7-5) and 7-6 (7-4). After losing the first set, Hughes picked up her game and eked out the victory that put Pitt over the top in the meet.

Also victorious for the Panthers yesterday was Konita Jude. She won, 6-2 and 6-3. Her match was completed in less than an hour.

Pitt hits the road today for a showdown with Cleveland State in Cleveland. The Panthers return to Big East action next weekend as they head to Villanova Friday, Rutgers on Saturday and Seton Hall on Sunday.