Correction (Feb. 9 1:09 a.m.): An earlier version of this story included an incorrect photo and caption. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
Senior Katrina Tsang sat out for the first time this season Saturday against Elon.
As it turned out, the North Carolina women’s tennis team was just fine without its No. 1 singles player.
No. 11 UNC shut out Elon 7-0, sweeping all six singles matches after winning two of three doubles contests. With the win, the Tar Heels improved to 7-0 on the season.
“If we’re not ready and if we’re not focused, then it can be a challenge,” junior Jelena Durisic said. “But today we did not let up. We closed them out.”
UNC also beat Wisconsin 6-1 earlier in the day. The Badgers’ lone point came on an Alaina Trgovich singles win over sophomore Haley Hemm. The Tar Heels won all three doubles matches.
Tsang is one of two individually ranked Tar Heels and headed North Carolina’s singles lineup all season before resting against Elon.
UNC’s second and third starters, senior Sanaz Marand and Durisic, each moved up a court in Tsang’s absence and won their respective matches, with Durisic dominating play throughout.
The North Carolina backups also got a chance to shine. Three of the six participants in both singles and doubles were not usual UNC starters.
“It was great to get them some matches and get some rust off,” coach Brian Kalbas said. “It got them some competition that they badly needed, and I think they did a great job.”
The Tar Heels had to fight through some difficulties early on in singles play.
Sophomore Jocelyn Ffriend injured her right hip on the second point of her match and said it hurt to serve and run for the rest of the day.
And Marand, UNC’s other ranked singles player, was down 3-2 and a break midway through the first set.
Both players rallied to win in straight sets.
Kalbas said he thought the team’s energy level was a little low throughout the day, possibly due to a letdown after the emotional high of upsetting Notre Dame last weekend.
But he also said the Tar Heels finished strong.
“At the end of the matches, we were the ones dictating and committing ourselves to what we wanted to do,” Kalbas said.
The Tar Heels played most of their normal starting lineup against the Badgers, although senior Sophie Grabinski was sidelined from singles play with food poisoning.
Kalbas said one of the keys to the Wisconsin match was the pressure put on by the North Carolina players in first sets. UNC won five of six first sets to take early control of the match.
The only player to lose the first set, freshman Zoe De Bruycker, came back to win her match, 6-7, 6-1, 10-7.
Five Tar Heels played three matches on the day, but Kalbas said his team is conditioned and ready for long days on the court.
“You don’t pace yourself — you go all out,” Durisic said. “Whether you have the energy or not, you have to go all out.”
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
