Several Panthers Advance To The Finals This Weekend
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 26, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y.—Sophomore Kimmy Borza and freshman Molly Wickman claimed a consolation championship as Pitt’s women’s tennis team competed in the Women’s Eastern Collegiate Tournament held at Army in West Point, N.Y.
In their final match of the tournament, Borza and Wickman swept all eight games against Aubrey Brooks and Sarah Iannone (Albany) to win the Honors bracket. The pair went 4-1 over the weekend.
Earlier, in the winner’s bracket Borza and Wickman put up a fight against Quinnipiac’s second-seeded doubles pair of Michelle Dassa and Jackie Raynor. However, the duo fell 8-2 in the quarterfinals of the top flight of doubles before moving to the consolation round.
While playing in the Honors bracket, Borza and Wickman earned a quarterfinal victory over Emma Chow and Hannah Hoeiner (Bowdoin), 8-6. In the semifinals, the Panthers defeated Jamila Paul and Margaret Iliev (Army), claiming an 8-2 win.
Playing in the B doubles finals, senior Minh Evans and junior Karma Parbhu went 2-1 in the tournament. First, they earned an 8-1 win over Samantha Greco and Kathleen Wojciak of Rhode Island in the quarterfinals. Next, Evans and Parbhu defeated Casey Holt and Bethany Boyle (Fordham), 9-8 (1), in the semifinals. Lastly, the finalist met the third-seeded Anna Guryanova and Maria Rodrigues-Arias (Seton Hall) in the championship match, where the Panthers were outlasted 9-7.
In singles action, sophomore Taylor Washington played through the D winners’ bracket. After collecting two victories on the first day of the tournament, she upset top-seeded Kathleen Uy (Rhode Island) in the quarterfinals after bouncing back from a first-set loss. Washington won the match with scores of 3-6, 6-1 and 10-4. She followed that performance with a come-back victory over May Vickers (3-6, 6-2, 10-4). In the finals, Washington suffered a heart-breaking loss in a tiebreaker to third-seeded Chloe Pike (Stony Brook), 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.
In the consolation B singles bracket, junior Gabrielle Catanzariti advanced to the finals with victories over Biana Derrick (Hofstra), 8-3, Kate Donnelly (Sacred Heart), 8-6 and Abigigall Farrell (Lehigh), 8-1. Later in the finals, Catanzariti dropped both sets (7-5, 6-0) to Taysha Blessington (Long Island).
In another consolation final, freshman Amanda Wickman was outlasted in a 9-7 loss to Nicole Rydzewski (Sacred Heart). Wickman earned a seed in the finals after claiming wins over Liz Piscitelli (Lehigh), 8-3 and Big East foe Karen Ramirez (Providence), 8-1.
Rounding out singles action, sophomore Jocelyn Lu held off Pam Emery in a 9-7 pro-set win. In Lu’s next consolation match, she fell 8-5 to Pui Wing-Sher (Seton Hall).