The Virginia women's tennis team crushed North Carolina-Greensboro Saturday, 7-0. Virginia won all three doubles matches by 8-1 margins and took five of the six singles matches in straight sets.
While the outcome of the match was determined long before No. 1 Kristin James entered into a super tiebreaker with opponent Lindsey Peel, James fought hard to keep Peel from earning a come-from-behind win.
James started strong, winning her first set 6-0. But Peel came out for the second set with significantly more intensity, taking that set 7-5. James then won the ensuing super tiebreaker, 10-7.
"I played a good first set," James said. "In the second set she came back and really picked up her game. It made it difficult. I just needed to stop, regroup and focus."
The match was the first time James had played in the No. 1 spot. Junior Mariko Fritz-Krockow has played in the position in each of the Cavaliers' 10 matches.
"We're just switching people around," Virginia coach Phil Rogers said. "A lot of our players are interchangeable."
The non-conference match was the first ever between the two teams, and No. 41 Virginia was the clear favorite.
"Certainly we were the favored team," Rogers said. "But that kind of worries you more than anything else. I thought we did a good job of taking this match very seriously."
For the heavily favored Fritz-Krockow, losing her first point startled her and made her take her opponent more seriously.
"For a second there I was kind of scared," Fritz-Krockow said. "The very first point she played a really good point, and the first thing that came to my head was, 'I can't lose at two, I can't lose at two.' But then I snapped back into it."
It didn't take Fritz-Krockow long to come back, and she beat the Spartans' Carlin Kannan 6-1, 6-4. Her point clinched the Cavaliers' win by bringing the score of the match to 4-0.
The first two singles wins for Virginia came at the hands of No. 5 Marta Bechliwanas and No. 3 Lauren Bruch. No. 4 Dora Bechliwanas and No. 6 Shannon Stough rounded out the Cavaliers' victories.
Virginia next travels to Texas for their annual Spring Break trip. They will face a pair of ranked foes -- No. 46 Southern Methodist University and No. 45 Texas Christian University.
"We are excited to get outdoors where tennis is meant to be played," Rogers said.
These will be the last two matches before ACC play begins against Florida State at home March 14.
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