The No. 4 North Carolina women's tennis team returned home after a three-week road trip on Friday, defeating Virginia Tech, 7-0 at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
What happened?
UNC had a quick start in doubles. Senior Hayley Carter and Sophomore Jessie Aney, the No. 1 doubles team in the country, won 6-3, while sophomore Chloe Ouellet-Pizer and redshirt senior Rachael James-Baker won 6-2.
The singles matches took longer than expected. The Tar Heels were down early and quickly had to recover. Carter finished first (6-1, 6-3) while first-year Makenna Jones finished second 6-2, 6-1. The Tar Heels won all six singles matches, continuing their ACC winning streak.
Who stood out?
First-year Alexa Graham fought back from an early first-set deficit to force a tie-breaker, which she eventually won. Although she grew frustrated with herself, sometimes yelling, she didn’t give up. Graham didn't allow her opponent to win a game in the second set, securing the Tar Heel sweep.
When was it decided?
Ouellet-Pizer and Graham both wrapped up the UNC win. Ouellet-Pizer was the third singles match to finish, pushing the Tar Heels to a 4-0 lead and clinching the match. But Graham’s emotion showed why the team has put together a 34-match ACC regular season winning streak.
