Adams Named First-Ever All-Conference Tennis Selection
4/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 24, 2009
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Sophomore Elizabeth Adams became the first-ever Pitt women’s tennis player in school history to earn All-Big East honors, the conference announced this week.
Voted the team MVP, Adams is the first-ever Panther to earn all-conference accolades at Pitt, as the league head coaches selected her to the 14-member team.
“All in all, Elizabeth had a terrific year, not only as an individual, but as a team player,” Pitt Head Coach George Dieffenbach said. “She played most of the season at No. 1 singles, and all of the season at No. 1 doubles. Elizabeth had a year we can all be very proud of and she brought much recognition to the University of Pittsburgh. We look forward to Elizabeth leading her team as she enters her junior year primed to work hard and achieve much more for Pitt.”
Adams led the Panthers to its first-ever first round victory in the 2009 Big East Championship, defeating Cincinnati 4-3. In that match, she won her 94th career victory with a two-set win in No. 2 singles. Adams also set the single-season doubles record at 25 in that contest, winning in No. 1 doubles alongside Kristy Borza. Adams eclipsed the record of 21 (tied twice by Borza) that was first set during the 1997-98 season by Fran Davis.
On the year, Adams recorded a 22-6 singles record, playing as the No. 1 and No. 2. She was also the first-ever Big East Player of the Week awardee on Feb. 12, this season. The following week, she became the only back-to-back recipient of the award.
As a team, Pitt had its best year to date, finishing tied for seventh overall at the conference tournament. The Panthers tied their previous best finish of ninth last season, prior to entering the tournament as the No. 9 seed. Pitt concluded the year with a 12-10 overall record and 6-3 in the Big East.