North Carolina
Duke
Women's Tennis Falls to Duke in a Classic Match
April 2, 2001 | Women's Tennis
April 2, 2001
CHAPEL HILL--Monday's match was a true showdown between the two rivals. The University of North Carolina women's tennis team fought hard but came up short against Duke, 4-3. Carolina's record drops to 10-4 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
The match came down to No. 3 singles match between Kate Pinchbeck and 18th-ranked Amanda Johnson. After losing her first set 7-5, Pinchbeck rallied back to win the second in a tiebreaker 9-7 with her teammates chanting "Rudy, Rudy" from the sidelines. Pinchbeck went on to lose the third set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (4).
Assistant Coach Alisha Woodroof was proud of Carolina's fight. "This was one of the best college matches I have seen and been a part of. It's a shame that it came down to a couple of points. I am proud of how we fought. This match shows that we are a good team. We almost beat the No. 2 team in the country."
Carolina lost the doubles point to start off the match. Kendrick Bunn/Pinchbeck was the only doubles duo to win by defeating Miller/Johnson 8-5.
Fourteenth ranked Marlene Mejia defeated No. 2 ranked Ansley Cargill 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Mejia improves her record to 26-9. Other singles victories include No. 5 Bunn's defeat of Katie Granson 6-4, 6-4 and No. 6 Kristin Koenig's win over Hillary Adams due to Adams retirement.
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist believes his team is a championship team. "Everyday we come to play hard. Everybody won't always play their best but they will always compete and that is what makes a championship team."
Thornqvist stresses that the Tar Heels will be more prepared for these situations after experiencing this match. "We will take something positive from this match. Next time we play No. 2 we will be a little more confidant."
The Tar Heels continue their ACC matches when they compete against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, April 4th at 5:30 p.m.
SINGLES #1 Marlene Mejia (#14) (UNC) def. Ansley Cargill (#2) 6-3, 7-6 (6) #2 Megan Miller (#50) def. Julie Rotondi (#57) (UNC) 6-3, 7-5 #3 Amanda Johnson (#18) def. Kate Pinchbeck (#86) (UNC) 7-5, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4) #4 Kathy Sell (#15) def. Lee Bairos (UNC) 6-2, 6-2 #5 Kendrick Bunn (UNC) def. Katie Granson 6-4, 6-4 #6 Kristin Koenig (UNC) def. Hillary Adams 2-1, ret.
DOUBLES #1 Bunn/Pinchbeck (UNC) def. Johnson/Miller 8-5 #2 Cargill/Sell def. Mejia/Julie Rotondi (UNC) 8-5 #3 Adams/Granson def. Erin Niebling/Courtney Zalinski (UNC) 8-6
