The No. 3 North Carolina women’s tennis team fell in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday to ACC-rival No. 14 Virginia at the Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla., 4-2. The Tar Heels (31-3) had beaten the Cavaliers (19-10) in the two previous meetings between the schools this season, including in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
What Happened?
UNC put itself in a hole early after losing the doubles point for only the third time this season. They were 1-1 in the two previous matches. Senior Kate Vialle and first-year Jessie Aney lost their match 6-2, and the team of senior Ashley Dai and first-year Chloe Ouellet-Pizer won their match 6-3.
That meant the all-important doubles point would come down to the play of the No. 2 ranked doubles team of senior Whitney Kay and junior Hayley Carter. After trailing 5-3, the duo would win one more game, before dropping the deciding match 6-4.
The Tar Heels responded well early in singles play, taking first-set leads on five of the six courts. They would turn those leads into first-set victories, putting them in position to overcome the early deficit.
The team would tie the score behind a straight-set victory by sophomore Marika Akkerman. Senior Ashley Dai would follow up her teammates win with a straight set victory of her own, giving the Tar Heels a 2-1 advantage.
Then it was the Cavaliers turn to rally.
UVa. evened the score after first-year Meghan Kelley defeated Vialle in straight sets. It looked as if the Tar Heels would be in a position to respond with Aney up one set on an opponent she had already beaten twice this season. However, she was unable to keep the momentum going, losing the next two sets, 6-0, 6-1, and leaving her team’s fate in the hands of its top two players.
No. 1 Carter was battling No. 2 Danielle Collins in a third set, when No. 41 Kay entered a decisive third set against No. 12 Julia Elbaba. With Carter up 5-4, and on the verge of tying the score, Kay came up short, dropping the decisive set 6-3.
