Pitt
Bucknell
Women's Tennis Earns Win In Home Opener
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 4, 2011
PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh women’s tennis team earned its sixth consecutive victory over Bucknell, as the Panthers posted a 6-1 decision, this afternoon, at the Oxford North Athletic Club. The Panthers improve 2-3 on the year, while the Bison slip to a 0-1 start to their season.
Pitt won its sixth straight meeting against Bucknell. The Panthers also closed the series gap, improving to 12-13 overall in all-time meetings against the Bison.
“Today’s win was an outstanding team effort,” Head Coach George Dieffenbach said. “Pitt has been competing against Bucknell since 1981, and the rivalry is intense. Every match against the Bison is a competitive challenge because they play with a lot of heart and good sportsmanship.”
Pitt opened the match winning a hard-fought doubles point. Playing in No. 2 doubles, freshmen Kimmy Borza and Jocelyn Lu cruised to an 8-1 victory to put the Panthers ahead.
Next, Bucknell’s No. 1s pushed senior Elizabeth Adams and sophomore Gabrielle Catanzariti, and earned an 8-3 victory to even the doubles matches at 1-1.
With the doubles point resting on the winner of the No. 3 match, sophomore Karma Parbhu and freshman Brittney Russell walked back onto the court trailing 7-6. Despite momentum on the Bison’s side, the duo rallied three straight games to earn the win and give Pitt an early advantage in the match.
“Elizabeth had an injured shoulder, which made it tough for her to compete in doubles,” Dieffenbach noted. “We had fine showings in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, as Jocelyn and Kimmy had a convincing win. Then Karma and Brittney had a come-from-behind-victory to clinch the doubles point.”
Later in single play, Borza was the first to finish, as her opponent retired in the second set trailing 3-0. Borza had already sealed the first set, winning all six games.
In No. 5 singles, Russell shutout her opponent in the first set, as well. She would later win the second frame at 6-3.
As play continued, Lu gave up three games total in her match, while Parbhu went 6-3, 6-3 in No. 4 singles.
Junior Minh Evans moved into the line-up and posted a victory herself. She battled through a 7-5 finish in the first set. However, her opponent forced a tiebreaker with a 6-2 second set. In the decider, Evans prevailed with a 10-8 winner.
“With Liz out of the singles lineup, everyone stepped up,” Dieffenbach said. “Jocelyn, Kimmy, Karma and Brittney competed well against a good Bucknell unit. Minh was then the last player to win in a hard fought 10-8 super -tiebreaker.”
The Panthers have a two-week break ahead of them, as they travel to Big East rival West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 16, for an 11 a.m. match.
Doubles
1 Lauren Lucido/ Daria Tuzhikova def. Elizabeth Adams/Gabi Catanzariti, 8-3
2 Jocelyn Lu/Kimmy Borza def. Elena Vidrascu/Courtney Casey, 8-1
3 Karma Parbhu/Brittney Russell def. Dumitrita Iepuras/Dara Dwojewski, 9-7
Singles
1 Lauren Lucido def. Gabi Catanzariti, 6-3, 6-4
2 Jocelyn Lu def. Dumitrita Iepuras, 6-1, 6-2
3 Kimmy Borza def. Elena Vidrascu, 6-0, 3-0
4 Karma Parbhu def. Lauren Rottkamp, 6-3, 6-2
5 Brittney Russell def. Courtney Casey, 6-0, 6-3
6 Minh Evans def. Daria Tuzhikova, 7-5, 2-6 (10-8)
Players Mentioned
