CHAPEL HILL — Leading 3-0 in the deciding set of the final match, Saras Arasu broke her tiring opponent’s serve for the second consecutive time and appeared to put Duke ahead for good.
As the crowd filtered into the seats around center court, however, North Carolina’s Aniela Mojzis caught a second wind. The nation’s No. 31 player used her height and reach to take the next six games from Arasu, giving the Tar Heels a 4-3 victory, their first over the Blue Devils since 2002.
Without three projected starters No. 16 Duke (13-8, 4-4 in the ACC) gave No. 13 North Carolina (19-6, 7-1) all it could handle at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center Wednesday. Katie Blaszak, Jennifer Zika and Lauren Archer sat on the sidelines as the Blue Devils faced their archrival.
“I think mentally it would’ve been great for this team to win the match, but I think it was great for them to compete how they did knowing that some people that have played higher in our lineup were not there,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said.
Despite playing at No. 2 singles for the first time this season, Arasu—usually the Blue Devils’ fourth or fifth singles player—managed to lead Mojzis for the majority of the first set by using her speed and quickness to combat her opponent’s size advantage. Mojzis kept the score close, however, and forced a tiebreaker which she went on to win.
Arasu then evened the match at a set apiece, taking the second, 6-2. She continued to dominate Mojzis early in the third and seemed to have exhausted the Tar Heel All-American as she took a 4-0 lead.
Just when Arasu appeared to have her match in hand, North Carolina tied the team competition at three, making Arasu’s tilt the deciding point. Mojzis rattled off game after game, finding a way to return Arasu’s deep groundstokes until Arasu made a mistake. Down two match points at 5-4, Arasu hit a forehand down the line that missed by an inch and gave UNC the 4-3 win.
“She did a great job showing that girl it was going to be a match. It easily could’ve gotten the other way if Saras didn’t come out from the first point and show that it was going to be a fight,” Ashworth said.
Duke had gotten off to an inauspicious start, dropping the doubles point in only 40 minutes. A ball that passed between Jackie Carleton and Clelia Deltour because of poor communication was symbolic of the Blue Devils’ struggles as they tried to adjust to makeshift pairings with Blaszak and Zika out of the lineup. North Carolina’s two top-25 doubles teams capitalized on Duke’s unfamiliarity, winning their matches 8-1 and 8-0 for the first point of the night.
In the first singles match to finish, Duke’s Tory Zawacki evened the score at one by overpowering her opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.
The Blue Devils gained their first lead at 2-1 when Parker Goyer won her match by the same score. The seldom-used sophomore made the most of her opportunity, giving Duke a point at a crucial juncture in the match.
“I knew it was a big opportunity, and I knew every win would help, so I really wanted to capitalize on that,” Goyer said.
Deltour was next to finish her match. In a show of poise, Duke’s lone freshman rebounded from her shaky doubles performance to take the first set, 6-3. After her opponent took the second, 6-2, Deltour again regained her composure and won the third, 6-3.
As Deltour’s match concluded, Kristin Cargill stood frustrated on the baseline while both teams’ coaches and two referees debated a controversial line call with Cargill down 5-2 in a second-set tiebreaker. The sophomore, who called the ball out, was overruled and never regained her concentration. She had already lost the first set and her double fault on the final point of the tiebreaker cost her the match.
Carleton simultaneously lost her match, 6-4, 6-3, which leveled the overall score at three and left Arasu on the court with her opponent.
Despite the loss, Ashworth was satisfied with his team’s performance.
“I thought we competed better than we have. I thought our attitude was better than it’s been, and that it was definitely a step in the right direction,” Ashworth said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.