Sept. 9, 2006

PITTSBURGH--Six members of the University of Pittsburgh women's tennis team advanced to the finals of the Carnegie Mellon Invitation, while four earned titles, as the Panthers opened its fall schedule down the road, this weekend.

Taking home the first of four titles, sophomore Kristy Borza (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) took the crown in No. 1 Singles with a 3-0 record. Borza met doubles teammate junior Leah Friedman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) in the championship game and was victorious 6-2, 6-1.

Borza shutout her first opponent of the season (6-0, 6-0) and defeated Jackie Hughes of Duquesne (6-4, 6-0) to advance to the title match.

Friedman's first match of the season was long but worth the wait. After losing the first set, 3-6, she countered the next set with a 6-1 win. In the tie breaker, Friedman and Johanna Bezjak of Duquesne battled through 22 points, but it was Friedman who came out on top with a 12-10 win.

Friedman entered the championship game 2-0 after defeating her Carnegie Mellon opponent 7-6 and 1-0 due to a retire.

Senior Annie Davies and junior Carlie Smith met in the No. 2 Single title match, where Davies won the crown 6-1, 6-4.

Davies (Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg), whom didn't lose a set all day, was victorious against Kathy Skopinski of Robert Morris (6-0, 6-1) and Rachel McGowan of Duquesne (6-2, 6-3).

Smith (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) held on for tough wins in her match of the season, as she defeated Rebecca Poole of Duquesne 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6). Smith later advanced to the finals after a victory against her CMU opponent (6-1, 6-4).

In the No. 3 Singles, sophomore Christie D'achille (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) earned the title with three victories including two over CMU opponents. In her title match, D'Achille battled through the beginning of the first set, but won 6-3 in the end. In her second set she never gave Duquesne's Alicia McNamara a point, 6-0.

Also competing in the No. 3 Singles pool was freshman Anna Boverman (Asbury, W.Va.). Boverman fell to McNamara in the first round (2-6, 2-6).

Freshman Anne Piccirillo (Spring City, Pa.) earned the No. 4 Singles crown and finished the day 2-0. Piccirillo defeated Peggy Stankovich, 6-4, 6-0, of CMU and shutout Mai Otsura (6-0, 6-0) in the finals.

Returning to the lineup after nursing an injury all of last season, junior Michele Petrasko (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) earned a win in the first round against Duquesne's Renne Niklewicz (6-3, 6-4), before falling to Otsuka.

The Carnegie Mellon Invitation will finish up this afternoon with four rounds of doubles play.