With arguably the fiercest rivalry in college sports, North Carolina and Duke don’t like to have much in common.
But this weekend, the Tar Heels (6-1) and Blue Devils (6-1) shared the pleasure of defeating the visiting Northwestern women’s tennis team in a pair of dual matches, 4-3 and 5-2.
The No. 12 Wildcats (5-4) started the weekend Saturday morning with a thriller in Chapel Hill, N.C.
NU claimed the doubles point by taking two of the three matches with strong performances from junior Marine Piriou, sophomore Jessica Rush, and seniors Simona Petrutiu and Lia Jackson.
But No. 10 North Carolina got the better of the Cats in the singles competition, taking three of the first five singles decisions to even the score at 3-3.
With the score tied, the only match yet to finish was No. 55 Jackson’s battle with No. 41 Julie Rotondi.
For NU, it was a perfect opportunity for redemption. The Cats lost a 4-3 decision to North Carolina last year in Evanston in a contest that was decided by a third-set tie-breaker.
Unfortunately for NU, the 2002 chapter had the same heartbreaking finish, as Jackson dropped the match 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
“I didn’t even know that I had to win the match for us to have a chance,” said Jackson, a senior. “But it was so close, so naturally we’re disappointed.”
Down Tobacco Road in Durham, N.C., on Sunday, the Cats had another chance for an upset win.
But the No. 4 Blue Devils were even stingier than the Tar Heels, taking five of the six singles matches in a 5-2 triumph.
Again, the Cats took the doubles point before things went downhill. The Blue Devils rattled off four consecutive singles victories to clinch the win.
Despite dropping both matches, the weekend had a few bright spots for the Cats.
Sophomore Stacy Kokx celebrated her first match on the singles court this season with a straight-sets victory over North Carolina’s Caroline Hill, 6-3, 7-6(6).
NU also got a boost from Simona Petrutiu, whose winning streak survived the weekend. She has now won seven straight to run her record to 7-2.
Rush, on the other hand, saw her undefeated campaign come to an end as she lost both her matches. In addition, both freshman Andrea Yung and Jackson have lost their last five matches to drop to 3-6 in singles play.
“I don’t tend to dwell on losing,” Jackson said. “It’s not like I’ve been getting killed out there. I’ve been playing some really good opponents.”
Things aren’t going too well for Piriou either, who has lost four of her last five matches to dip below .500 in dual-match play.
“I was definitely disappointed by this weekend, even more disappointed than coach (Claire Pollard),” Piriou said. “But she told me that our philosophy isn’t based on winning and losing – it’s to play to our best potential.”
Piriou admitted that she has been under pressure in her first season playing in the No. 1 spot.
“It’s a bit stupid,” admitted Piriou, ranked No. 9 nationally. “But I think I put too much pressure on myself. It’s not helping.”
The weekend was the culmination of five straight matches for NU against top-10 teams, a stretch during which the Cats went 2-3.
But despite the recent losses, NU’s confidence has swelled to new heights.
“We have more confidence, not less,” Jackson said. “We know we’re good, and this weekend showed that we can beat anybody.”
