Women Rally, Edge No. 3 Demon Deacons

The Tar Heels lost the doubles point to fall behind 1-0 to No. 3 Wake Forest on Wednesday at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. But they then won four of six singles matches to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory.

With the doubles point in limbo, UNC's Kate Pinchbeck and Lee Bairos squandered a 7-5 lead with a litany of unforced errors and lost 9-8 (7-5).

For some teams, the loss would have had a devastating effect, but for the Tar Heels, it had no effect at all.

"Even though we lost the doubles point, we kept our heads up and did not get down," said UNC coach Jen Callen. "The difference between winning and losing was that we responded well. We came back and stayed on it."

Perhaps the epitome of this perseverance was Pinchbeck's play in her singles match. Facing Janet Bergman, ranked 16th in the country, No. 27 Pinchbeck fell behind, dropping the first set 6-4.

"The match changed when I started hitting my first serves," she said. "In the first set, I just couldn't get them in."

After falling behind 2-0 in the second set, Pinchbeck reeled off an impressive winning streak: 12 straight games. Her dominance frustrated Bergman so much that by the fifth game of the third set, Bergman was shanking her shots like a celebrity golfer.

"I think she was really tired," said Pinchbeck, who won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Before Pinchbeck, playing No. 2 singles, had clinched her victory, Julie Rotondi (at No. 3) and Aniela Mojzis (at No.4) had already won their matches in straight sets.

Mojzis, a freshman, was especially dominant, beating Maren Haus 6-1, 6-1.

"When she knows it's a big match," Callen said, "she's a tough one to beat."

With UNC leading the Demon Deacons 3-2, the outcomes of two singles matches were still undecided. Playing next to each other were Lee Bairos at No. 5 and Kendall Cline at No. 6.

Bairos, who would eventually lose her match, was just beginning the third set while Cline led 3-2 in the third set of her match against Wake's Danielle Schwartz. Cline knew the outcome of the team match depended on a win.

"I knew Lee or me had to win," Cline said. "I figured, 'Why put the pressure on her?'"

Cline won two of the next three games and led 5-3 with Schwartz serving.

Up a break point in the game, Cline had a chance to win the match, but Schwartz stroked a volley past Cline to even the game. On the following serve, Cline found a counter to Schwartz's serve-and-volley strategy.

"I knew I had to get it past her when I could," Cline said. "I pre-established where I would hit it."

The return winner whizzed past Schwartz, who double-faulted the next point, giving the individual match to Cline and the team match to the Tar Heels.

"This is the first time we've beaten a top-five team," Callen said. "But I don't think it's going to be the last."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.