GRAND FORKS — Nore Heinitz had a chance to set UND's school record for career wins on Saturday.
But she didn't think much about it.
"Going into it, I was like, 'I guess I could do it today, but Denver is so good that I'm going to have to play the best tennis of my life,'" Heinitz said. "When I got to the tiebreaker, I was like, 'Wait, I could actually do this.' So, I did get pretty nervous."
Heinitz handled it without a problem.
The senior from Duluth, Minn., beat Denver's Marley Lambert 3-6, 6-4, 10-6 in her final match at Choice Health and Fitness.
It was her 134th collegiate win, setting the school record.
Andrea Jansson, who played at UND from 2019-24, previously held the mark.
Heinitz accomplished the feat on Senior Day, so her parents, grandparents on both sides, aunt, uncle, cousin and former hitting partner were in attendance.
"It feels amazing, especially to do it on Senior Day in front of my whole family, the people who are the most important to me, and on our home courts," Heinitz said. "It was the best feeling ever. I'm super proud. It feels really good."
ADVERTISEMENT
Denver beat UND 5-2 in the meet and will take the No. 1 seed into next weekend's Summit League tournament. The Pioneers have won 70 Summit League regular-season matches in a row.
But Heinitz has earned wins over Denver in each of the last two home matchups.
"It's rare to find somebody that gets up as much for every match like she does," UND coach Tom Boysen said. "I think that's what she broke the record. Every match, to her, is a big opportunity for herself and the team. It's fitting. It's her last home match. Her parents are here. You're playing the best team in the conference.
"You're never going to forget a record like that, but you'll for sure remember doing it (that way)."
Heinitz lost the first set, but battled back to win the second.
She got off to a quick start in the third set super tiebreaker and cruised to the finish.
"It was a super fun match," Heinitz said. "I was happy with how I played pretty free today and how I enjoyed every point and soaked up the moment playing in front of my family and everything. It was a special match to have my last one here."
ADVERTISEMENT
Boysen said Heinitz has helped bring the UND program to a new level.
"She got to a program that was in good shape and she left it in better shape," Boysen said. "She was on the first UND team to reach a conference final. She broke the (wins) record. She was a two- or three-time captain. She has leadership coming out of her veins. She does it in every way. She does it quietly. She does it leading by example. If she needs to say something, she says something.
"When a player backs up what they say with their performance, it means you've got a winner and you've got somebody that changes the program."
The Trust Project
