North Carolina
California
Women's Tennis Falls to California in the NCAA Tournament
May 13, 2001 | Women's Tennis
May 13, 2001
ERKELEY, CA - The University of North Carolina women's tennis team was defeated by the University of California at Berkeley, 4-1, Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The gritty Tar Heels won the doubles point before dropping four straight singles matches.
Carolina, ranked 20th in the nation, won the doubles point by taking two of three matches from the Bears. At No. 1 doubles, Kendrick Bunn and Kate Pinchbeck earned a hard fought victory against Cal's duo of Anita Kurimay/Raquel Kops-Jones, 9-7. Marlene Mejia and Julie Rotondi had a somewhat easier match at No. 2 doubles, winning 8-3. California's pairing of Christina Fusano/Catherine Lynch topped Courtney Zalinski and Elina Bairos at third doubles, 8-4.
After winning the doubles point, UNC continued to hold off the Bears as the squad won the first set in three of the six singles matches. However, 7th-ranked Cal was resilient, winning four singles matches in a row to end the Tar Heels team season.
Kate Pinchbeck took the first set from Raquel Kops-Jones at No. 3 singles, but Kops-Jones rallied to take the next two sets for the point. At No. 4 singles, Kristen Koenig battled Jieun Jacobs, winning the first set in a tiebreaker before dropping two sets in a row. Cal showed its depth with straight set victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
Carolina's top two singles players, Marlene Mejia and Julie Rotondi, did not finish their matches because the contest had been decided. Both matches were well into the third sets when Cal sealed the victory.
UNC coach Roland Thornqvist appreciated the effort put forth by his team. "I'm really proud of this team. They have shown character and worked hard all year. It's been incredibly fun to be around these girls all year. Cal was the better team today and we wish them luck in the rest of the tournament," said Thornqvist.
The Tar Heels return seven of nine players next year, including their top five singles players and the squad's top two doubles teams. The match was the last for seniors Erin Niebling and Courtney Zalinski, who saw the program earn three consecutive NCAA tournament berths, including the first in school history, during their Carolina careers.
SINGLES:
No. 1 Marlene Mejia vs. Anita Kurimay (Cal) DNF
No. 2 Julie Rotondi vs. Christina Fusano (Cal) DNF
No. 3 Raquel Kops-Jones (Cal) def. Kate Pinchbeck 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 Jieun Jacobs (Cal) def. Kristin Koenig 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 Catherine Lynch (Cal) def. Elina Bairos 7-5, 6-2
No. 6 Sekita Grant (Cal) def. Courtney Zalinski 6-4, 6-2
DOUBLES
No. 1 Kendrick Bunn/Pinchbeck def. Kurimay/Kops-Jones (Cal) 9-7
No. 2 Mejia/Rotondi def. Nicole Havlicek/Jacobs (Cal) 8-3
No. 3 Fusano/Lynch (Cal.) def. Zalinski/Bairos 8-4
