The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

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

UNC women's tennis falls to Stanford in Final Four, 4-2

Alexa Graham Duke ACC
UNC women's tennis junior Alexa Graham prepares to return the ball during her singles match during the ACC Tennis Championships at Cary Indoor Tennis Park in Cary, NC on Sunday April 21, 2019. UNC beat Duke 4-2.

For the third consecutive year, the North Carolina women's tennis team lost in the NCAA Team Championship at the hands of Stanford, this time in the Final Four by a score of 4-2.

What happened?

The second-seeded Tar Heels began the day by dropping the doubles point for the second straight match, having previously won 34 doubles points in a row dating back to last season. 

The No. 2 duo of Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham lost, 6-4, and the pairing of Sara Daavettila and Alle Sanford lost, 6-3. No. 12 Makenna Jones and Cameron Morra won their doubles match, 6-4, but it wasn't enough to avoid a 1-0 deficit heading into singles play.

The third-seeded Cardinal pushed the lead to 3-0 by securing singles wins over No. 7 Graham, 6-1, 6-3, and Sanford, 7-5, 6-1. No. 46 Morra was the first Tar Heel to get on the board, posting a 6-3, 6-4 victory, and Daavettila followed with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 comeback win to cut the Stanford lead to one.

Needing only one point to clinch the win, however, Stanford proved to be too much to overcome. Successive losses by Aney and No. 5 Jones sealed the victory for the Cardinal, and ended the Tar Heels' title hopes.

Who stood out?

Daavettila played brilliantly in singles, overcoming a quick loss in the first set to fight for a gritty 7-5, 6-2 victory. If the Tar Heels had completed the comeback, Daavettila's win surely would have been remembered as a veritable swing of momentum. 

Daavettila was preceded by Morra, whose 6-3, 6-4 win gave the Tar Heels their first point of the day. Along with Jones, Morra was able to do her part in doubles, winning the match on court two, though North Carolina dropped the doubles point.

When was it decided?

A 3-0 deficit against one of the nation's best teams seems daunting, but for a period the Tar Heels looked unfazed, winning back to back matches to slice the deficit to one. Even in the team's losses, North Carolina did not, for the most part, go down easily – the match stretched well past three hours in length.

Still, despite snatching momentum in their favor with back to back victories, winning four straight singles matches proved too tall of an order for the Tar Heels. The losses by Aney and Jones handed North Carolina its third straight postseason loss at the hands of Stanford.

Why does it matter?

Despite the loss, UNC women's tennis has had much to celebrate this season.

The Tar Heels finished 2019 at 33-2, the best record in program history. Earlier this year, the team won its fourth consecutive ACC Championship and advanced to the finals of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship. 

The loss against Stanford also marked the Tar Heels' third appearance in the Final Four, along with the 2010 and 2014 teams.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels' season as a team is over, but the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship begins on Monday in Orlando, Fl., stretching all the way until Saturday.

@ryantwilcox

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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