SPENCER — A stubborn door accomplished something only a handful of opponents have been able to do over the last four tennis seasons: beat Pam Cleveland.

Cleveland, North Rowan’s No. 1 the last two years, was closing a sliding glass door at her home last August when she slammed it on her hand. The impact severed the tip of her right pinkie.

Not the sort of sterling start Cleveland had envisioned for her senior year.

“It’s the week of our first match and Pam walks up with this sling on,” said North coach David Berrier. “It was like one of those scenes from a movie. I was like, ‘Nooooooooooo!’ You lose Pam and it sort of hurts your lineup.”

Cleveland was out of commission for several weeks and missed key contests. Like a head-to-head with Salisbury’s smooth No. 1 player, Tonya Fox. Plus a pair of marquee matchups with West’s tireless star, Lauren Duffy.

Cleveland did beat Fox when North faced Salisbury the second time around. And Fox split with Duffy. Still, that pesky door has made the task of picking a 2001 player of the year in the county anything but an open-and-shut case.

No matter how the POY vote turns out, Cleveland’s headed for her third all-county berth. Cleveland’s a sure thing because even though she’s had to compete with that damaged pinkie dangling off the end of her racket, she’s racked up a 13-1 record.

And Cleveland doesn’t need to apologize for her lone loss. It came at the hands of Lexington’s defending 2A state champ, Catherine Koontz.

Cleveland’s strokes have been in good shape since she started taking lessons from former Catawba coach Jeff Childress at age 12. She’s in good shape, too, smallish, but strong from a steady athletic workload that includes all-county work for North’s soccer team every spring.

Cleveland’s also smart (she’s near the top of her class academically) and tough. She took a painful kick in the ankle against High Point Central last spring, but finished the match. She showed up for the next one as well.

“I guess,” said Cleveland, “that I hate to sit anything out.”

Berrier says the quality that separates Cleveland from the pack is easy to identify. Simply put, she hates like heck to lose.

“In tennis, there are always things you can work on, but hating to lose is the most important thing,” Berrier said. “Pam gives everything she’s got and refuses to give in.”

When she’s on the court, Cleveland reveals little emotion. But she doesn’t deny that beneath that calm exterior, she’s fired up.

“Since I was a kid, I haven’t liked to lose at anything,” she said. “I think that’s why things have gone well for me.”

North (fourth in the 2A Central Carolina Conference) fell short of the dual team state playoffs, so Cleveland’s spending her time preparing for Friday’s individual regionals. If all goes well, she’ll use those Lexington-based regionals as a springboard to her third straight state tournament. Last year, she won her first match at states, but then had the outrageous misfortune of drawing the crafty Koontz in the second round.

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Cleveland’s got company for her workouts because North’s No. 1 doubles tandem of senior Jenna Wooten and freshman Jordan-Leigh Davis is also a regional qualifier.

In August, Berrier figured his No. 1 doubles would be Cleveland-Wooten. But Cleveland’s injury brought on Plan B — an odd couple of all-county veteran Wooten and the speedy, but still-learning Davis.

When Cleveland healed, Berrier paired her with another talented freshman, Lauren Grubb, at No. 2 doubles, and left Wooten and Davis together.

“I figured that way the seniors could sort of teach the freshmen how to play doubles,” said Berrier.

Doubles class has apparently gone quite well.

“Jordan and I talk pretty well out there,” said Wooten, who also made the doubles regionals last fall. “Jordan’s been willing to try new things. She’s learned a lot.”

Berrier admits he’ll miss Cleveland and Wooten next season, but he’s OK with it, because he knows Davis and Grubb are going to be really good. In fact, the two youngsters have already demonstrated a certain quality he greatly admires.

“When those freshmen lost this year, there were tears,” he said. “I hated it for them, but tears aren’t a bad thing. It showed me tennis mattered. I might just have me two more who hate to lose.”

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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .