Tennis team aces Big Ten test

The North Carolina women's tennis team showed its versatility and depth with two impressive 7-0 victories against Minnesota and Indiana on Saturday and Sunday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. In the two matches, the No. 7 Tar Heels (9-2) dropped only one set and swept both doubles points against their two Big Ten foes. North Carolina went into the matches coming off of a strong showing at the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships. The Tar Heels went 2-1 in the tournament, with wins against two top-25 teams and a close 4-3 loss to the eventual tournament champions, Georgia Tech. "I thought it was important to stay in that competitive mode," Tar Heel Coach Brian Kalbas said. "This weekend helped us keep that sharpness we established." UNC continued to show its dominance in doubles play. With the doubles point already clinched, the team cheered on the No. 16 tandem of Jenna Long and Sara Anundsen as they defeated their Hoosier opponents in a hard-fought 8-6 match. "The doubles point is huge as far as momentum goes," Kalbas said. "I think we can win matches either way, but it definitely helps you to get that point." Long set the tone in singles play Sunday with a decisive 6-1,6-4 win at the No. 1 spot against Indiana's Alba Berdala. Teammates Anundsen, Sanaz Marand, Katrina Tsang and Caitlin Collins all chipped in straight-set victories, and Austin Smith won a 10-point tiebreaker to help the Tar Heels go unbeaten for the weekend. Smith came back from a 4-1 deficit against Hoosier senior Laura McGaffigan to take the first set 7-5 but dropped the second set 2-6 to send the match into a tiebreaker. "She had the momentum because she won the second set and was on a roll," Smith said. "But I beared down and started to play a little more focused. I felt pretty good by the end." The Tar Heels have played every week since their spring season began Jan. 13, which should give the squad added experience heading into the meat of its schedule. "Everyone has gotten a lot of experience now," Anundsen said. "We've played more matches than almost anyone in the country, so that should help us in the tough matches coming up." North Carolina will be on the road to take on No. 4 Notre Dame on Friday and No. 8 Northwestern on Sunday. Kalbas said the team's play throughout the season has shown that it can play and win against anyone. "Those two matches are going to be an absolute physical, mental battle," Kalbas said. "Overall, I think this weekend helped us gain confidence and build that toughness that we're looking for at this point in the season." Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.