By Anthony DiFilippo

From September 15, 2022

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 15) – Waynesburg University’s women’s tennis team faced off against Thiel Thursday and lost 9-0. This is the seventh time in a row that the Yellow Jackets (0-3, 0-1) have fallen to their fellow PAC opponent.

The Tomcats have been a tough opponent for Waynesburg over the years, with their last victory coming in 2015. Interim Head Coach L. Randy Pettit talked about what makes them such a difficult team to play.

“The biggest thing yesterday with Thiel was their consistency,” Pettit said. “They didn’t make a lot of errors.” 

Despite the result, Pettit said it was not by lack of effort that led to the final score. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

“The girls played hard yesterday,” Pettit said. “We have a number of girls fighting through some injuries, and they still battled hard.”

With three girls on the team graduating last year for Waynesburg and coach Ron Headlee retiring, it is not surprising that immediate success has not followed the team, as it could take some time for a new coach to make their mark. 

Pettit still remains optimistic about the rest of the season and envisions that the hard work they’ve been putting in at practice will start to reflect in their performance on the court.

“I want to see continued improvement,” Pettit said. “They are putting the work in, and it will pay off for them.”

The Yellow Jackets have a quick turnaround, facing off against non-conference opponent La Roche on Friday. Waynesburg has not played La Roche since 2014, when they took the match by a score of 5-4. In fact, they have beaten the Redhawks both times they’ve played (the other meeting in 2012).

Pettit discussed the importance of his team clearing their heads about a loss just a day prior.

“We told the girls after the match to have a short memory,” Pettit said. “Today is a new day and a new opportunity to improve and compete.”

The team is facing off against La Roche at home on Sept. 16. The match begins at 4 p.m.