Tennis suffers first loss in match against Marshall

The Thundering Herd trampled Pitt’s undefeated season on Friday, as Marshall defeated the Pitt… The Thundering Herd trampled Pitt’s undefeated season on Friday, as Marshall defeated the Pitt women’s tennis team 7-0 at the Huntington Tennis Club in Huntington, W. Va.

In a battle of No. 1 seeds, Jessica Johnson got the Thundering Herd off to a fast start, winning every game in a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Pitt’s Jill Williams. No. 2 seed Alice Sukner picked up where Johnson left off; defeating Pitt’s No. 2 Nikki Borza in a straight set 6-1, 7-5victories.

Laura Pegula was able to win Pitt’s only set of the day, jumping ahead of Marshall’s Lille Nzudie in a matchup of No. 3 seeds. But Nzudie was able to battle back and ultimately defeat Pegula in a 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 thriller.

The four through six matchups spawned similar results for Marshall, as No. 4 Danielle Hock defeated Becky Emmers 6-0, 6-3, No. 5 Joelle Good defeated Hayley Hughes 6-1, 6-3 and Ashley Kroh downed Jena Fiore 6-0, 6-1.

Marshall’s double teams completed the sweep against the Panthers, as the Johnson and Sukner team defeated Pitt’s No. 1 squad, Williams and Pegula, 8-1; and the Nzudie-Kroh and Skalsky-Hock teams each earned shutout victories.

The loss dropped Pitt to 2-1 on the season. The Panthers will travel to Blacksburg, Va., on Jan. 31 to take on Big East opponent Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.