The North Carolina women's tennis team hosted the five-day ITA Carolinas Regional this weekend, and came away with potentially two more National Indoor qualifiers after an all-Tar Heel singles final Monday that saw first-year Sara Daavettila claim a three set win (2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2) over sophomore Jessie Aney.
What happened?
Thursday saw the start of doubles play. The UNC duo of redshirt senior Rachael James-Baker and sophomore Chloe Oellett-Pizer began their tournament with a bye and then an 8-3 victory over Corrine Blythe and Alice Taylor from UNC-Greensboro to propel the pair into the third round. The 10th-seeded UNC doubles duo lasted until Sunday, when they were taken down in a third set tiebreaker, 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (7), in the semifinals by Caroline Dailey and Mia Horvit of South Carolina.
On the singles side, three Tar Heels advanced as far as the quarterfinals. First-year Alexa Graham fell in a third set tiebreaker to N.C. State’s Martina Frantova, while sophomore Jessie Aney and first year Sara Daavettila advanced. The advancing pair also won their semifinals matches, with Daavettila avenging Graham’s loss to Frantova, creating an all-UNC matchup in Monday’s final.
Daavettila, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net, came in as the top seed. Aney, the third seed, was a standout first-year herself a year ago, setting up a competitive final between two of UNC’s star underclassmen.
After dropping the first set of the final, Daavettila claimed the next two for the win and the automatic qualifying spot for the National Indoor Championship. According to Coach Brian Kalbas, Aney still has a strong chance at claiming a wildcard spot to the tournament.
Who stood out?
The UNC first-years excelled in their first home matches as Tar Heels. Both Graham and Daavettila made it to the quarterfinals, with Daavettila winning the whole thing. The two first-years were among the top-10 recruits in the country, and lived up to the hype with their performances over the weekend.
