A powerful Terry Sanford team used a couple of close wins in singles to post a 6-3 win over Pinecrest in girls’ tennis Thursday at Pinecrest.

The non-conference Bulldogs won two singles matches that could have gone either way to take a 4-2 lead into doubles. Terry Sanford took two of the three doubles matches to cement its win. It was the first loss of the season for Pinecrest, dropping its record to 1-1.

“Terry Sanford had physically strong girls playing at the one through four singles,” Pinecrest coach Fairley Cameron said. “They outmuscled us in some close matches. The match could have been closer, but I was proud of the effort our girls put forth. We will get stronger as the season progresses.”

Patriots Alison James and Katie Mashburn provided two of the close singles matches.

James, playing at number four singles, won the first set 6-3 over Terry Sanford’s Nicole Knowles, but lost the second set 6-2. In a third-set tiebreaker, Knowles posted a 7-1 margin in picking up the win.

Mashburn, playing at number six singles, lost a close first set 7-6 (9-7 tiebreaker) before falling one break game short in the second by a 6-4 score.

Aimee Wolf engaged in a spirited battle with Terry Sanford’s Samantha Van at number two singles in a match that went three sets. Wolf dropped the first set 6-2, but roared back to take the next sets and the match by 7-5, 6-3 scores. Joining Wolf as a winner in singles was Pinecrest’s Leah Dew at number five. She defeated Jessica Tenuta 6-0, 6-1.

Anna Pottle, Pinecrest’s number one singles player, faced Terry Sanford’s Lisa Suggs. Suggs, ranked second in the state in the 14s division and 10th nationally, defeated Pottle 6-3, 7-5, in another close match.

In doubles, the lone winner for Pinecrest was the third-seeded team of Jessica Motsinger and Elizabeth Gingerich. They defeated Tenuta and Liz Haugh 8-3.

Showing that Pinecrest possesses some depth, the Patriots won three doubles exhibitions against the visiting Bulldogs.

The Patriots play twice this week with away matches against non-conference foes South View and Western Harnett.

Terry Sanford 6, Pinecrest 3

Singles — Lisa Suggs (TS) defeated Anna Pottle, 6-3, 7-5; Aimee Wolf (P) def. Samantha Van 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Thuy Pham (TS) def. Jessica Motsinger 6-0, 6-3; Nicole Knowles (TS) def. Alison James 3-6, 6-2, 7-1 tiebreaker; Leah Dew (P) def. Jessica Tenuta 6-0, 6-1; Liz Haugh (TS) def. Katie Mashburn 7-6 (9-7 tiebreaker), 6-4.

Doubles — Suggs-Van (TS) def. Pottle-Wolf 8-1; Pham-Knowles (TS) def. James-Dew 8-5; Motsinger-Elizabeth Gingerich (P) def. Tenuta-Haugh 8-3.

Exhibitions — Ann Marie James-Ashley Motsinger (P) def. Harrell-Nicholson 8-6; Tiffany Thompson-Paige Auman (P) def. Young-Harris 8-5; Lindsay Wallace-Julie Mercier (P) def. Vurgun-Schmidt 8-6.