Hughes leads Pitt tennis in preparation for season

Last weekend, the Pitt women’s tennis team traveled to the United States Military Academy at… Last weekend, the Pitt women’s tennis team traveled to the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., to participate in the Fall Eastern College Tournament.

The individually contested Eastern College Tournament, which is played with four singles and two doubles flights, is the largest college tennis tournament in the country, bringing together 26 eastern U.S. teams.

Entering one person or team in each flight, this was the second event Pitt has participated in to prepare for the upcoming regular season.

“The girls all play to their results as an individual, so they tried to be extra aggressive during this tournament because they are all playing for themselves,” head coach George Dieffenbach said. “Even in a tournament of this nature, they all really gelled together and are really supportive of the other team members.”

Pitt’s highlight of the tournament was provided by junior Hayley Hughes, who made it to the consolation final in the No. 3 singles flight.

After a tough defeat in the first round to Danielle Rautenberg of Quinnipiac, 6-4, 3-6 and 1-6, Hughes rolled through her next two opponents in the consolation rounds, Providence’s Molly Gilbride, 6-1 and 6-0; and Rhode Island’s Jess Collins, 6-0 and 6-1.

However, Hughes was defeated in three sets by Tanya Sichko of Bucknell, 4-6, 6-4 and 5-7 in the consolation final.

Another strong spot for the Panthers was the doubles team of Nikki Borza and Laura Pegula, who passed the first round by way of a bye and won their second round match, 8-2, over Niagara’s Colleen Carey and Kenda Daigler.

Borza and Pegula were then defeated in the third round to the eventual doubles champions, Army’s Annie Collier and Megan Noble 7-9, in a match where Pitt led 5-2 and 7-6.

Junior Jill Williams played to a hard-fought opening match win in the No. 1 singles draw, beating Howard’s Tatiana Okpala 4-6, 6-2 and 6-4, in a long match that lasted three hours and five minutes.

Williams was finally defeated in another closely contested match by UConn’s Whitney Simelik in the second round by a score of 4-6 and 3-6.

At the No. 2 singles level, freshman Becky Emmers handily defeated Fairfield’s Megan Stauffer, 6-0 and 6-1, in her first round match. But Emmers was unable to make it past the second round, where she lost to Seton Hall’s Nicole Cercone, 4-6 and 1-6.

In the No. 4 singles level, senior Jena Fiore stayed true to the Pitt trend by winning her opening round match over Howard’s Nicole Williford 7-6(5) and 6-4. Fiore was then defeated in the second round by University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Susan Hyams 3-6 and 0-6.

Rounding out the action for the Panthers was the flight two doubles team of Emily Hughes and Brooke Yablonski, who took down Bucknell’s Lisa Fund and Chelsea Mills by a score of 8-3, and then lost to the team of Melissa Day and Raynie Theis from West Virginia, 2-8 in their second round competition.

“All of the girls played tough tennis throughout the event,” Dieffenbach said. “They each figured out a way to win and showed a lot of strength and heart.”

The tennis team will return to action this weekend, when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Bucknell Fall Classic as they continue to prepare for the regular season.