Tennis: Panthers don’t feel weighed down by slow start in conference play

It’s never easy to start a season winless in conference play, but Pitt’s women’s tennis team, which has started its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference 0-7, appears to be taking the bumps in stride.

The Panthers, who have lost to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Maryland, Miami, Clemson, Boston College and Virginia, are doing more than just taking each defeat and moving on to the next match, though. They are learning from their experiences.

“We knew that it would be really hard, especially in our first season in the ACC,” Taylor Washington, one of the three seniors on the team, said. “Every game and every match is an opportunity to improve.”

Alex Santos, currently in his first year as Pitt’s head coach following a successful stint as an assistant coach at the University of Miami, agrees wholeheartedly with Washington.

“I definitely don’t feel this season is disappointing,” Santos said, confirming that he’s not the least bit shaken by the tough stretch following a 3-0 start to the season. “We aren’t focusing on winning and losing as much as we are on improving from match to match. The team understands that. They’re in good spirits.”

Despite the inauspicious start to the season, certain Pitt players have seen their fair share of success, particularly freshman Audrey Ann Blakely.

Blakely, a true freshman from Wyomissing, Pa., secured her role as the Panthers’ No. 1 singles player early on and has not looked back since. Currently ranked 114th in the nation, she made her biggest splash by defeating Miami’s Kelsey Laurente, who was then ranked 40th in the country.

Blakely currently leads the team in victories, sporting a 14-4 record and a team-best 3-3 record in ACC play. In the process, she’s earned attention, respect and praise from her teammates.

“I think she has been doing a tremendous job, obviously,” Santos said. “She’s a great competitor and is very mature. She plays well above her age, and is one of the most improved players in the ACC.”

Blakely was the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s singles high school state champion in 2013, and her sisters Grace and Martha played tennis at South Carolina and Virginia Tech, respectively. Even though it seems there’s hereditary talent there, Blakely does not hesitate to give credit to having strong support from teammates.

“In high school, I did a lot of national competition,” she said. “I always felt that I competed best when I competed with a team rather than by myself. I’ve been able to do that at Pitt, and I think that’s why I’ve been able to do so well.”

And despite being accustomed to success — Blakey went 32-0 in her senior year of high school, not losing a single set — she has completely adopted the team’s emphasis on learning and improving.

“From the beginning of the fall to right now, the whole team has improved so much,” Blakely said. “We’re really right there, even if the team score isn’t showing it. We’re learning to compete.”