STEUBENVILLE - Despite a scheduling change, the Franciscan women's tennis team rolled to a decisive 8-0 victory over conference opponent Pitt.-Bradford to extend their conference record to 4-0. The match, because of the impending threat of rain, was played on Saturday in Robinson, PA instead of on Sunday at Bellview Park.

The accelerated schedule appeared to have little effect on the Lady Barons, as decisive doubles play quickly led to a 3-0 lead. No. 2 and No. 3 doubles both recorded quick 8-0 victories. At No. 1 doubles, senior Claire Haddad and sophomore Maria Binette rode strong net play to finish off their opponents 8-2.

Singles took the court with a slightly altered lineup, in that freshman and No. 1 singles player Madelyn Conrad was held out because of sickness. Each Lady Baron took the move in stride, said Coach Ellis. "It puts a lot of pressure on everyone moving up a full spot across the board but everyone played really well."

Ellis also noted that first off the court Maria Binette, now playing No. 1 singles, played "a fantastic" match. She recorded a quick 6-1, 6-0 victory over her opponent.

Two courts over, No. 3 singles player Claire Haddad played a first set kept close by unforced errors. She nevertheless recorded a 6-4 victory in the first, before deeper shots and increased pace in the second set put her away her opponent 6-3.

With her family watching from above, No. 2 singles Grace Hammel played a tight first set, taking it 7-5, before pulling away in the second, clinching a 6-1 second set. No. 4 singles player Maggie Vander Woude also won a close first set, 7-6, before she too found momentum in the second set and put her opponent away 6-2.

Originally intending only to play until decision - the point at which one team has won five out of the nine matches - Coach Ellis elected to allow those still on the courts when the fifth point was clinched to finish out their matches. As a result, the No. 6 singles match went unfinished.

To keep their now 5-0 unbeaten streak alive, Ellis stressed the importance of conditioning and on-court mental toughness. "We have a big week ahead of us" he said. "As long as we stay injury free and we play good tennis I foresee a good season."

The Lady Barons face a challenging week of upcoming matches, as beginning Tuesday they play eight matches in a seven-day span. Tuesday's match, a non-conference matchup against Cedarville, begins at 4:00pm on the Bellview courts.