Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The women’s tennis team started off its spring season with a decisive 5-2 victory against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 2.

“I think our team came out with a great deal of energy for our first match of the season. We all remained positive throughout our matches and I think that brought us to victory,” Lydia Colvin ’15 said.

Maria Cioffi ’16 and Colvin led the Bison as they competed at the West Branch Tennis Club, with Cioffi winning the No. 2 singles match 6-4, 6-1, and Colvin ousting her opponent in the No. 3 match 6-0, 6-2. Jen Bush ’15 and Christie Schneider ’15 also won the No. 5 and No. 6 matches, respectively, to round out the field for the Orange and Blue.

“[Head coach Rebecca] Helt has been saying a lot lately that ‘practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.’ I think if we stay in that mindset and push ourselves to stay dedicated and focused in training, then we’re in for a very successful and rewarding season,” Bush said.

Cioffi and Colvin also performed strongly in the doubles portion of the match, as both of them earned another victory on the day with their 8-3 win in the No. 2 match. Bush also got her second win on the day, as her and Stephanie Pino ’16 won their No. 3 doubles match 8-4.

“The more matches we get under our belts, the more confident our players will feel. Confidence leads to better execution. I think we have good talent, we just need to see who gains the confidence to compete in the big matches,” Helt said.

The Bison will travel to Pittsburgh this weekend to compete in matches against both Pittsburgh and Duquesne.