UNC women’s tennis tops Michigan 4-3

The North Carolina women’s tennis team beat its second top-five opponent in five days, as the Tar Heels topped No. 4 Michigan 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday.

After UNC and Michigan split the first two doubles matches, UNC tandem Lauren McHale and Shinann Featherston rallied to win their match 9-7, giving UNC the vital doubles point.

Michigan won three singles matches and UNC won two, resulting in a 3-3 tie with only one match remaining.

The stage was then set for UNC’s McHale, who was beating Michigan’s Mimi Nguyen in the third set.

“I did get a little nervous,” McHale said. “I was up 5-2 and it went to 5-4. She even had a game point to make it 5-all, and I was getting a little down on myself, but my team never doubted me and they kept pumping me up along with the coaches.”

McHale held on to win her match 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the victory for the Tar Heels.

UNC coach Brian Kalbas praised McHale’s ability to thrive under pressure when the difference between victory and defeat rested on her shoulders alone.

“It was impressive to see her when she’s losing her momentum kind of get back in the last game,” Kalbas said. “She got nervous at 5-2, but at 5-4, she was able to collect herself and play real smart tennis.”

After dropping her first set, McHale said she knew she had to wear down Nguyen and grind out a victory against her opponent.

“I saw that she was getting a little tired,” McHale said.

The Tar Heels, ranked sixth in the nation, opened ACC play on March 9 with a 4-3 win against No. 3 Miami. Kalbas lauded his team’s ability to find a way to win during the past week, regardless of which players come out on top.

Against Miami, Haley Hemm, Jelena Durisic and Gina Suarez-Malaguti each won their singles match to clinch the victory against the Hurricanes.

On Sunday, three different North Carolina players finished their matches with victories.

“Zoe (De Bruycker), Shinann (Featherston) and Lauren (McHale) all stepped up,” Kalbas said. “I was real impressed that they didn’t get down out there losing against Miami, and they came back against a big opponent today.”

McHale said her team is motivated by facing high-quality opponents week in and week out.

“By beating Miami, we knew we could beat this team as well,” McHale said. “Even before Miami, we knew we could do it. It would just take a lot of fight and motivation.”

As for her pressure-filled victory to clinch the win for the Tar Heels, McHale said she loved the opportunity to bring home a victory for her team.

Kalbas thought the win against Miami served as a springboard for his team’s success against Michigan.

“To win on the road against a quality opponent, we’ve never done that in the history of Carolina tennis, so that was a big win for us,” Kalbas said.

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