It was April 9, 2006, and the then-No. 29 Virginia women's tennis team was taking on then-No. 6 Miami. The team score was tied at 3-3 when all the attention shifted over to the No. 4 singles match, where current Virginia senior Lindsey Pereira, a sophomore at the time, was playing Miami's Patricia Starzyk. Pereira appeared to be on the ropes because she had lost a close opening set 6-7 and was losing 3-5 in the second. It appeared, however, that Pereira had Starzyk right where she wanted her. Pereira went on to fight off a triple match point and win 10 of the last 11 games on her way to a comeback victory in three sets, ultimately securing a 4-3 win for Virginia.
That kind of match has defined Pereira's career as a Cavalier, and according to her, was one of her best moments at Virginia.
"It was exactly the kind of match I like to play -- really long, grind it out, just bring my opponent to the ground and just really fight harder than them -- where I can deserve to win the match that way," Pereira said. "It was just a great team win."
Pereira's storied career with the Cavaliers has been filled with memorable moments and great matches like this one, but it has not come to pass without some hardship. Pereira struggled to find playing time her freshman year and was unhappy with the overall demeanor of the team, as it finished with a 6-14 record.
"I wasn't playing as much as I would have liked to [freshman year]," Pereira said. "It was just a fight because I was on a team with girls who weren't really on the same page, so it was also a process that just was hard to get through."
All that changed next season when Mark Guilbeau was hired as the new Virginia head coach along with assistant coach Troy Porco. They worked hard to change the attitude of the team, and Pereira quickly thrived in the new team atmosphere.
"When Mark and Troy walked in here, it really made a difference," Pereira said. "Especially my sophomore year, I really felt like the energy would flow with all the six courts of singles, and you could really feel the momentum shift with not just your court, but all the courts around you."
Pereira went on to excel during her sophomore season. She posted a 28-10 singles record, and her 28 singles wins rank as the fifth-highest total in Virginia school history, a feat Pereira holds in very high esteem.
"I think it's awesome," she said. "I wish I could be four, three, two or one up there but I'm definitely happy with 28 wins."
Pereira added that injuries during the last two seasons made surpassing 28 wins difficult.
Even greater than her personal achievements on the court has been Pereira's team leadership. She captains the current team, and players have expressed the importance of her leadership for team development.
"Lindsey has been an unbelievable role model at least for me, and I think I can safely say that for the whole team," junior Amanda Rales said. "She really puts her whole heart into everything on and off the court and she's done a lot of good things for this team."
The coaches expressed how critical Pereira's presence has been for them -- through her intensity and leadership, she has made their job much easier.
"No doubt, [Pereira's been a leader] since day one," Guilbeau said. "We needed that when we came in here as coaches. We were very different than ... the previous staff, and she was the one that bought in the most right away."
Guilbeau added that Pereira's presence will linger after she's gone because younger players she helped have grown into leaders themselves.
Pereira has posted a 9-10 and a 14-7 record in singles and doubles, respectively, thus far during her final season with Virginia. In her solid career as a Cavalier she has amassed a 79-50 record in singles and 45-48 in doubles. Pereira said she has cherished every single second of it.
"It's been an amazing experience; I can't believe it's over, I don't want it to be over," Pereira said. "I'm going to try to prolong the next three months as much as I possibly can. I've grown a lot as a person and as a tennis player, and I know that I'll always look back and be really happy about these years."
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