Pitt
West Virginia (Big East Championships)
Women's Tennis FInishes Ninth At BEC
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 19, 2008
TAMPA, Fla.--Just as dramatic as the first meeting, Pitt's women's tennis team defeated West Virginia, 4-3, in its final match of the Big East Championships, this evening. The Panthers finish the year 13-8 and recorded their first-ever pair of wins in the conference tournament after entering the tournament with a ninth seed.
For the first time in program history the Panthers won two matches at the Big East Championships and tied the best-ever finish in the conference at ninth-place. The last time Pitt finished ninth was in 1993, which was prior to the 16 teams needing to qualify for the tournament.
"To win two matches is a tremendous way for our team to end the season," said Head Coach George Dieffenbach. "We owe a lot of thanks to our seniors for their four years of leadership."
The match began with a showdown for the doubles point for the second consecutive day, as the match split at 1-1, forcing everyone to surround the No. 3 doubles team of seniors Carlie Smith (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and Leah Friedman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) with a 5-4 lead.
Later the pair was down 40-love, when they fought back and won their seventh game to retain the lead. The Panthers would then take the match, 8-6.
With the win in doubles for the No. 1 team of junior Kristy Borza (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) and freshman Elizabeth Adams (Reading, Pa./Wilson), Adams improved to 21-5 on her 19th birthday, tying the single-season record last set by Borza in 2007.
Next, in singles action sophomore Sabrina Visram (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) was the first to win her match and give Pitt a 2-1 advantage.
The match was once again tied a 2-2, when Borza came-back in a third set to win at the No. 1 spot. Borza's victory gave Pitt a 3-2 lead in the contest and posted her school record 28th single-season win.
Borza was named the MVP of the season at the conclusion of the match, as she became the all-time combined wins leader this season (143) and holds the record for career singles wins (81). She became just the second Panther to be named the MVP three times, as the first since Maria Paris in 1980.
"Congrats to our MVP Kristy Borza in winning this award for the third time in three years," commented Dieffenbach. "This year was a record breaking year for Kristy in that she earned the records in career singles and combined wins. Every time she steps in the court as a senior she will be breaking her own record."
At the time of Borza's win, both Smith and junior Christie D'Achille (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) were leading in their sets. However, Smith would fall in a hard-fought bout that evened the match at 3-3.
D'Achille, who won a tiebreaker in the first set, ended the match with an overhand shot in the back right corner for a 7-5 win. D'Achille improved to 19-10 in singles and recorded her 88th career win in the match.
"We have to give every player credit for setting up that final showdown," added Dieffenbach. "With all the pressure on her, Christie deserves a lot of credit and so does her West Virginia's Colleen, for battling it out."
Additionally, D'Achille's victory meant that each Panther scored a point for Pitt in the nail-biting win.
"What a tremendous way for our student-athletes to finish out the 2008 season at the Big East Championship," said Dieffenbach. "We defeated a very strong West Virginia team and every player in our starting lineup had at least one victory today to ensure the team win.
"This team has brought a lot of credit to the University with tennis, academics and sportsmanship. Our seniors will move on but they have left a lasting impression on their teammates. We will continue to work hard as a team to compete in the Big East conference."
Doubles
1. Adams/Borza (Pitt) def. Prinz/Percival (WVU), 8-2
2. Lyskawa/LaFortune (WVU) def. Visram/D'Achille (Pitt), 8-4
3. Smith/Friedman (Pitt) def. Burton/Pilsbury (WVU), 8-6
Singles
1. Kristy Borza (Pitt) def. Stacey Percival (WVU), 6-0, 3-6, 6-1
2. Sabrina Visram (Pitt) def. Monica Lyskawa (WVU), 6-3, 6-0
3. Natalia Prinz (WVU) def. Elizabeth Adams (Pitt), 6-3, 6-2
4. Christie D'Achille (Pitt) def. Colleen Speaker (WVU), 7-5, 7-5
5. Stephanie LaFortune (WVU) def. Carlie Smith (Pitt), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
6. Ashley Pilsbury (WVU) def. Leah Friedman (Pitt), 6-1, 6-1
