The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

In its closest match of the year, No. 1 UNC women's tennis falls to No. 7 Vanderbilt

The Tar Heels were 12-0 before the match.

Jessie Aney Vanderbilt

UNC junior Jessie Aney yells with excitement during a Feb. 25 match against Vanderbilt at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

The match was close down to the final point.

In a clash of top-10 teams, the No. 1 North Carolina women’s tennis team was edged by No. 7 Vanderbilt, 4-3, on Sunday for its first loss of the season.

The match was tightly contested from the start in doubles play. After the Commodores won on Court Three, 6-4, the Tar Heels (12-1) battled into two tiebreakers for the doubles point on Court One and Court Two. Duo Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham got out to a 5-2 flying start, then dropped four straight games and were faced with a potential loss.

On Court Two, Sara Daavettila and Alle Sanford came all the way back from a 5-1 deficit, winning five straight games to push one final point. 

We kind of forgot we were down 5-1," Daavetilla said. "We didn’t really think about it." 

In the end, both doubles teams pulled out 7-6 wins. A powerful Sanford ace put the exclamation point on the rally, and gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the match.

From there, the competitive tone was set for the singles matches. 

The first two singles matches to finish gave the Commodores a 2-1 lead. No. 32 Aney struggled, losing 6-3, 6-2, and No. 8 Sanford lost 6-3, 6-4, dropping nine straight games.

Graham evened the score next for the Tar Heels, winning 6-3, 6-4. With the score 2-2, the match became a best of three — two wins would equal a team victory.

Daavettila rode the momentum of her doubles rally to a 6-3 win in the first set, but dropped the second, 6-4. She knew the third set would be crucial.

“I started out pretty good, but then I started racking up some errors and getting impatient," Daavettila said. "When the third set started, I realized I needed to do what I need to do to win the match.”

The final set was as tight as its predecessors. After alternating the first four games, Daavettila built a 4-2 lead and held that margin to a 6-4 finish to put the Tar Heels within a game of match victory. She said she was aware of the situation when she won her match. 

“I definitely noticed," Daavettila said. "It gets you excited, and I wanted to play better for Makenna (Jones) and whoever else is on the court, and just really show energy."

On Court Six, Chloe Ouellet-Pizer took her opponent to a decisive third set, but eventually lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

With all other matches at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center finished, all eyes were on Court Two. The winner would capture the team victory. 

A hush fell over the place between each point as players and fans alike watched Jones and her opponent fight to the finish. The first set began with a 4-4 tie, but ultimately fell 6-4 to Vanderbilt. Jones responded with a three-game rally in the second set after being down 5-2 and won 7-5, a temporary match-saving comeback. 

In the third set, Jones mounted a 5-2 lead — one game away from victory — but a win just wasn't in the cards.  She dropped four straight games to go down 6-5, kept hope alive in a tiebreaker, but couldn't finish. She struggled with her serve in the final moments to a 7-6 loss that ended on a double fault.

The close loss by Jones ended the team's 12-match win streak, but head coach Brian Kalbas still had nothing but praise for her. 

“I’m real proud of her," he said. "The loss has not diminished anything, I just love how she fought and competed out there.”

@tommyfradenburg

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.