Panthers Fall 4-3 to No. 55 Boston College

Friday, April 1

Chestnut Hill, MASS.

2:00 PM

Pitt

Boston College

Panthers Fall 4-3 to No. 55 Boston College

4/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

April 1, 2016

Final Stats | Season Stats

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Pitt tennis team dropped a hard-fought 4-3 battle to No. 55 Boston College Friday afternoon at the Flynn Recreation Complex.

The Eagles improve to 8-9 on the season and 3-7 in the ACC, while the Panthers fall to 7-8 overall and 1-8 against conference opponents.

Although suffering a loss, redshirt junior Amber Washington continues to play solid singles at No. 6. The St. Paul, Minn., native recorded her ninth straight win on court six in duals this season and improves to 21-8 overall.

"It was a very tough and disappointing moment that hopefully will make us want it a little more," head coach Alex Santos said. "We always talk about the complete team effort, but I am still waiting for everyone to show up ready to compete. We won the doubles point which is always a positive, however we have to do a better job giving ourselves the chance to win on every single court. I am extremely proud of Amber [Washington] and Gabriela [Rezende] because in a hostile environment, they stepped up big time. We have little time to prepare for NC State and there needs to be a sense of urgency."

The Panthers started on a high note, claiming the doubles point for the early lead. Boston College took the first win on court three over freshmen Clara Lucas and Natsumi Okamoto, 6-0, however Pitt stepped up at No. 1 and 2 to secure the point. Juniors Lolade Ogungbesan and Audrey Ann Blakely dominated 64^th-ranked Lexi Borr and Jackie Urbinati, 6-2, while sophomore Callie Frey and freshman Gabriela Rezende turned in a 6-4 win at No. 2 over Asiya Dair and Emily Safron.

The Eagles came out hot in singles, but the Panthers weren't going down without a fight. Two of Pitt's singles losses both went into a third set, however it wouldn't be enough as four straight wins would secure the Boston College win.

Rezende and Washington continued their strong tennis at No. 5 and 6, collecting wins over their BC opponents. Rezende outlasting Wan-Yi Sweeting, 7-5, 6-7(5), 12-10, while Washington recorded a 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 win over Heini Salonen.

The Panthers return to Pittsburgh Sunday, April 3 to take on the 42^nd-ranked NC State Wolfpack at the Alpha Tennis and Fitness Center. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m.

Follow @Pitt_Tennis on Twitter and Instagram for updates on the team throughout the season.

SINGLES

#86 Asiya Dair (BC) def. Lolade Ogungbesan (UP) 6-2, 6-1
#113 Lexi Borr (BC) def. #85 Audrey Ann Blakely (UP) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Emily Safron (BC) def. Callie Frey (UP) 6-1, 6-3
Jackie Urbinati (BC) def. Carina Ma (UP) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
Gabriela Rezende (UP) def. Wan-Yi Sweeting (BC) 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (12-10)
Amber Washington (UP) def. Heini Salonen (BC) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)

DOUBLES

Lolade Ogungbesan/Audrey Ann Blakely (UP) def. #64 Lexi Borr/Jackie Urbinati (BC) 6-2
Amber Washington/Callie Frey (UP) def. Asiya Dair/Emily Safron (BC) 6-4
Wan-Yi Sweeting/Heini Salonen (BC) def. Carina Ma/Gabriela Rezende (UP) 6-0

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,1,4,2,6,5)