And Lamb was a winner on this long afternoon of grueling girls team tennis matches against Apex.

The senior came back from first-set loss to pull out a 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 victory that turned out to be pivotal for the Golden Hawks.

"It was a tough first set,” Lamb said “I couldn't get my serves over and I was hitting them out. I was in a mood to lose, but I just tried to push through it.”

Lamb's win at No. 6 singles started Holly Springs' comeback from a 2-1 deficit in doubles. The Golden Hawks claimed a 4-2 margin in singles en route to a 5-4 final score over the Cougars Thursday at Annie Jones Park.

In a Tri-Nine Conference race topped with Green Hope and Panther Creek seemingly having separated themselves, Holly Springs and Apex were jousting for which could currently sit in third place. The Golden Hawks improved to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in conference, while the Cougars dropped to 2-3 and 2-2.

Although Lamb and Apex senior Meagan Bickel battled through two sets and a third-set tiebreaker, their match was the first in singles to finish since they didn't play doubles and started play earlier than the other singles contestants.

"I think finishing her match the way she did, everyone else pulled off of her,” said Holly Springs first-year coach Heather Goins.

Holly Springs sophomore Bailey Edwards followed with a 7-5, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles, sophomore Megan Sredl won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3 and sophomore Kristen Flanagan won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5.

Edwards and Sredel also contributed to the Golden Hawks' only win in doubles as they teamed up at No. 3 for an 8-2 win.

Apex was playing without No. 1 singles Laura Williams, a senior who was ill. Edwards and Williams split their matches last year and Williams said she suddenly found herself adjusting to an unexpected opponent when Apex junior Andi Johnson moved up to No. 1.

"I didn't know Laura wouldn't be here,” said Edwards, who has a USTA state ranking in the low 30s for her year. “I had to adjust my strategy (against Johnson) and start placing the ball and making her run. She was very good at getting the ball back, and I like to go for winners. I started attacking her serve and placing my balls. She was a good player. She was difficult for me.”

Apex's two doubles wins came from junior Claire Baker and junior Grace Wickham at No. 2, 8-1, and and from junior Lea Foster and senior Brittany Pettengill at No. 3, 9-7.

Wickham also contributed a win at No. 4 singles, 3-6, 7-5, 10-7. The Cougars' other singles victory was from freshman No. 2 Carla Thomas, 6-3, 1-6, 10-7.

Wickham's long singles match against senior Megan La Vacca didn't end until dusk three hours after they began play in doubles to start the day.