Tennis wins conference opener

Friday was a day that the Pitt women’s tennis team has been preparing for since September…. Friday was a day that the Pitt women’s tennis team has been preparing for since September. It was the Panthers’ first match against a Big East opponent this season, and with memories of last year’s 6-1 loss to the Hoyas at Georgetown, Pitt was more than ready to return the favor.

“They needed to visualize victory,” head coach George Dieffenbach said.

The Panthers not only visualized victory beforehand, but also witnessed it live by defeating Georgetown, 5-2 at the Oxford Athletic Club in Monroeville, Pa.

The Panthers (2-0 overall, 1-0 Big East) started the day with two 8-6 wins over the Hoyas (0-8, 0-2) in the doubles competitions. Georgetown would win the third match, but it was too late because Pitt had already clinched the victory with its wins in the first two matches. It was critical for the Panthers to win the doubles competition so they could go up 1-0 on the Hoyas.

“Good teamwork got us those victories,” Dieffenbach said.

Senior Laura Pegula and sophomore Emily Hughes both opened up the doubles competition by defeating Georgetown’s Jordan Botjer and Laura Madonia, 8-6.

Leading 7-6, Hughes hit the game-winning serve to give Pitt the first win.

“She hits a powerful serve,” Dieffenbach said. “When those two are on, they are formable opponents.”

In the second doubles match, freshman Annie Davies and senior Hayley Hughes recorded a win for the Panthers, posting an 8-6 victory over Kristen Dew and Sana Malouf.

In the final match, Georgetown’s Nora Gardner and Eileen Boyle defeated sophomores Becky Emmers and Danielle Shuttleworth, 8-4.

“They’re a unified team in terms of believing they can get the job done,” Dieffenbach said. “It paid off in this match.”

In the singles competition, Pitt won three straight in the third, fourth and fifth matches. Davies posted a 6-3, 6-4, defeat over Malouf in the third match.

“[Davies’ win] put the pressure on Georgetown,” Dieffenbach said.

From there, the Hughes sisters took control of the court for the Panthers.

Hayley Hughes took to the court in the fourth match and defeated Gardner, posting two consecutive scores of 6-0.

Emily Hughes then came out and defeated Dew to give Pitt the 5-1 lead in the competition. Emily’s match was not as easy as her sister’s, but she did come away with the victory, recording a score of 6-0, 7-5.

Pegula won the first singles match to give the Panthers the early edge in the overall competition. She defeated Botjer 6-4, 7-5. She won the match with a down-the-line forehand into Botjer’s backhand corner of the court.

“She hit a beautiful game-winner,” Dieffenbach said. “She kept her focus and led the whole way.”

With Hayley Hughes’ wins in the doubles and singles competitions, her total number of wins at the collegiate level is now at 95.

She will look to close in on 100 victories when Pitt is back in action Saturday at 5 p.m. against Marshall at the Henderson Center Tennis Courts in Huntington, W.Va.