CHAPEL HILL-It has been said that great athletes often store their energy, then wait, coil and spring. Originally, that comment was not said while at a Duke women's tennis match, but it certainly applies.
On Saturday, the third-ranked women's tennis team beat the Clemson Tigers 5-2. Yet it was not another mindless victory one might expect from a team who has won 75 consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference contests. The day started out with a two-hour delay and site change due to rain. But when it was finally time to play, the Blue Devils were on fire. Junior Diana Spadea set the pace with an impressive win over Annie Trepanier, 6-3,7-5. Sophomore Luanne Spadea followed her sister's mark with a tenacious 7-6,6-0 victory.
"I just wore her down, mentally and physically," Luanne Spadea said. "That is what [our team] emphasizes."
Freshman Kristen Sanderson added another notch to Duke's win column, beating Clemson's Jan Barrett in three sets.
"I played a lot more aggressive [in the third set]," Sanderson said. "So I had more confidence in my shots."
The contest took a turn for the down side as Duke dropped its next two matches in straight sets. Freshman Vanessa Webb lost a fast-paced singles match and then teamed up with Diana Spadea to lose the only doubles match of the day. This left the outcome in the hands of junior co-captains Wendy Fix and Karen O'Sullivan, who had to wait an additional hour to take the court.
"Because of the wait, I was really nervous," Fix said, who was down 5-0 before she began her thrashing of Emma Peetz. "I figured if I just kept to the basics, my game would come back."
Amidst her teammates' cheering, Fix crushed her flustered opponent 7-5,6-2.
"It was just a matter of time before Wendy relaxed and started playing really good points," head coach Jody Hyden said. "Once she got going, she really closed it out."
Perhaps the most exciting play from the Blue Devils on Saturday came from O'Sullivan. Leading the match at 5-2, O'Sullivan had to fight through frustrating line calls and solid playing from Clemson's Kate-Maree Mair. After a disputed call to end the first set tiebreaker in Clemson's favor, O'Sullivan released her blistering serve on Mair.
"My serve really came through for me today," O'Sullivan said. "I was really happy with it."
But her serve alone was not enough to down her rallying opponent, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second set.
"It would have been easy for Karen to lose that second set," Hyden said. "But she did a great job of fighting her guts out, and that is what we are all about."
O'Sullivan won the see-sawing second set with flat out determination and athleticism.
"The third set started out really well for me, going to 4-1," O'Sullivan said. "And then she came back, but I said, 'I can't let this happen again.' The difference was I knew I could win. I believed."
Her teammates believed in her, too.
"The team is such a crucial part," O'Sullivan said. "There's nothing like being out there and having your teammates cheering their hearts out."
She took the third set in the same thrilling style which has characterized Duke's play this season-consistency plus passion.
"This match was a huge stepping stone," Fix said. "The fact that we played so mentally tough is great heading into the end of the season."
"They had the intensity to win," Hyden said. "That is what Duke tennis is all about."
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