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The Daily Tar Heel

No. 2 UNC women's tennis continues hot start to year with 6-1 win over Auburn

20230113_Tran_UNC-vs-Elon-Womens-Tennis-7.jpg
Sophomore Carson Tanguilig prepares to hit the ball during her singles match against Elon University at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on Friday, January 13, 2023. UNC beat Elon 4-2.

The No. 2 North Carolina women’s tennis team (7-0) beat No. 15 Auburn (1-1) by a score of 6-1 on Sunday afternoon on the road in Auburn, Ala.

What happened?

The Tar Heels firmly secured the doubles point, dropping just one game in their 2-0 sweep of the doubles matches. The doubles teams have been dominant all year, winning their points in all seven of UNC’s matches. 

The singles matches were more of the same for UNC with all six Tar Heels winning their first set. No. 8 Carson Tanguilig began the pressure with a straightforward 6-3 win in the first and completed the victory with a 7-6 win in the second.

No. 1 Fiona Crawley found trouble separating from No. 43 Ariana Arseneault, overcoming to win a tough first set 7-5 but dropping the second 1-6. Like she has done before this season, though, Crawley dug deep in the final set and cruised to a 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 win.

Crawley was one of three matches that needed three sets to be decided. No. 48 Reilly Tran dropped the second set before similarly cruising to a 6-2 win in the third. After losing the second set 6-7, No. 5 Abbey Forbes could not persevere in a final set tiebreak, giving Auburn its sole point of the contest.

Who stood out? 

Tanguilig, Reese Brantmeier, and No. 58 Elizabeth Scotty all earned straight set wins to give UNC the required four points to win. Brantmeier’s victory was especially noteworthy since it was the only match in which a Tigers player outranked its UNC opponent. Despite that, Brantmeier cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 78 DJ Bennett.

When was it decided?

After winning the first set in all six singles matches, the duals contest was all but over. With a doubles point already ensured for the Tar Heels, the Tigers could not come back from one set down in four matches.

The decisive victory came in the Tanguilig against No. 71 Carolyn Ansari match. With Auburn winning the second set in three of the matches, this one was crucial for the Tar Heels to secure. The second set tiebreak went back and forth, but Tanguilig triumphed 8-6 and officially delivered UNC the win.

Why does it matter?

This was the Tar Heels’ first ranked opponent of the season, and they further solidified their top-five ranking. The victory also extends their winning streak to begin the season to seven with only a few matches left before conference play begins.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will next compete in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Chapel Hill. Their first match will be against Maryland on Friday.

@brendan_lunga18

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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