UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The Penn State women's tennis team outmatched Pitt, 6-1, in a battle of in-state foes. Gabby O'Gorman (Gunnedah, N.S. Wales, Australia) defeated No. 76 Claudia Bartolome on court No. 1 to claim her first ever win over a ranked opponent.
The Nittany Lions are now off to a 2-0 start on the season and Pitt falls to 0-1.
"Obviously a good win for us," said head coach Chris Cagle. "You see the 6-1 score, but there were a number of close matches and I thought we did a really good job digging in and competing at the right times. Our girls have worked hard in the off season and I think their commitment shows in the results that we had tonight. I'm very happy with tonight and I'm looking forward to taking another step in our matches next weekend."
Doubles
Penn State won the doubles point, going 2-1, winning in come-from-behind fashion.
Chelsea Sawyer (Clemmons, N.C.) and Frederikke Svarre (Copenhagen, Denmark) fell to Natsumi Okamoto and Luisa Varon, 6-1 to put Penn State down 1-0 early.
Samantha Smith (Cary, N.C.) and Shannon Hanley (Kensington, Md.) evened the doubles score for the Nittany Lions at 1-1 after defeating Clara Lucas and Camila Moreno, 6-4.
O'Gorman and Olivia Rohrbacher (Sandusky, Ohio) clinched the doubles point, defeating Gabriela Rezende and Claudia Bartolome, 6-4 on court No. 1.
Singles
O'Gorman put the first singles points up on the day after defeating her first ever ranked opponent, in No. 76 Bartolome, 6-1, 6-4.
Rohrbacher was down 4-1 early on in the first set against Moreno, but battled back and secured the win, 7-5 6-3.
Smith clinched the match for the Nittany Lions, defeating Rezende in a three-set thriller 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Sawyer fell in a tight three-set match to Varon, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Svarre easily dispatched Okamoto, 6-1, 6-0 to stretch the Nittany Lion lead to 5-1.
Hanley finished things off for Penn State with dominant win over Mariona Perez Noguera, 6-0, 6-0.
Up Next
Due to the impending winter storm, Penn State's two matches scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 20 against Temple and Bucknell have been postponed. The Nittany Lions will next take the court at home next Sunday, Jan. 27 in a double header against George Washington at 10 a.m. followed by Towson at 3 p.m.
Keep up with the Penn State women's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewten and follow our twitter @pennstateWTEN.
Doubles Final
1. Gabby O'Gorman/Olivia Rohrbacher (PSU) def. Gabriela Rezende/Claudia Bartolome (UP) 6-4
2. Natsumi Okamoto/Luisa Varon (UP) def. Chelsea Sawyer/Frederikke Svarre (PSU) 6-1
3. Samantha Smith/Shannon Hanley (PSU) def. Clara Lucas/Camila Moreno (UP) 6-4
Order of Finish: (2,3,1)
Singles Final
1. Gabby O'Gorman (PSU) def. #76 Claudia Bartolome (UP) 6-1, 6-4
2. Luisa Varon (UP) def. Chelsea Sawyer (PSU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
3. Samantha Smith (PSU) def. Gabriela Rezende (UP) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Olivia Rohrbacher (PSU) def. Camila Moreno (UP) 7-5, 6-3
5. Frederikke Svarre (PSU) def. Natsumi Okamoto (UP) 6-1, 6-0
6. Shannon Hanley (PSU) def. M. Perez Noguera (UP) 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish:(1,4,3,2,5,6)
