University of North Carolina Athletics
Sara Daavettila
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Olympic Sports Notes
February 12, 2018 | General, Featured Writers
by Pat James, GoHeels.com
For the fourth straight year, the North Carolina women's team has reached the title match of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship, where it will face Pepperdine at noon Monday.
And in advancing there this season, the Tar Heels have benefitted from the strong play of sophomore Sara Daavettila.
Daavettila clinched the deciding point in UNC's 4-2 victory over Ole Miss during Friday's opening round. Despite dropping the second set, she dominated the third for a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win on court three over Sabina Machalova.
In a 4-1 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday, Daavettila once again won the deciding point, defeating No. 72 Sabrina Federici 6-3, 6-4.
The Tar Heels faced Duke in Sunday's semifinals. The Blue Devils were coming off an upset win over second-seeded Georgia on Saturday and continued their momentum early Sunday, winning four of six first sets in singles and eventually tying the match at 1.
But Daavettila helped UNC regain momentum. She beat No. 65 Kaitlyn McCarthy 6-2, 6-2, setting the stage for a 4-1 victory over Duke and the team's chance at a third ITA Indoors title in a six-year span.
Kea keeps scoring
After scoring 20 points against Virginia Tech on Wednesday and becoming the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 points in their first two seasons, Paris Kea continued her torrid scoring pace Sunday.
In a 73-54 loss at No. 23 N.C. State, Kea led the Tar Heels with 21 points. It was her 12th 20-point performance of the season.
With four games left in the regular season, Kea is averaging 19.8 points, which is on pace to become the highest figure by a UNC player since Tracy Reid averaged 20.1 during the 1997-98 campaign.
Fencing competes at Duke Meet
In the final competition for many Tar Heel fencers before the ACC Championship, the men's and women's teams combined to go 3-5 at the Duke Meet.
The men's team went 2-2 Saturday, knocking off Brandeis and Johns Hopkins. UNC's losses came against No. 5 Penn State and No. 9 Duke, but the epee squad won in both of those matches and finished 3-1 for the meet.
Competing Sunday, the women's team lost its first three matches – including a narrow 15-12 defeat against No. 7 Temple – before beating Brandeis 17-10.
Gymnastics finds success at Oklahoma
The gymnastics team traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, where it faced the daunting task of taking on No. 1 Oklahoma, the two-time defending national champion, on Sunday.
The Tar Heels fell, 198.150-195.750. But despite that result, they showed signs of promise against the Sooners.Â
UNC's overall score of 195.750 marked a season best. It also recorded season-high rotation scores on vault (49.175), floor exercise (49.275) and balance beam (49.225), with five gymnasts combining to set two personal records and tie six career-best scores.
Faceoffs key in men's lacrosse win
One of the biggest questions surrounding the men's lacrosse team entering this season was how the two-man faceoff team of senior Riley Graham and junior Charles Kelly would fare after the departure of Stephen Kelly.
The duo lost 19-of-31 faceoffs in the season opener against Lafayette. But in Saturday's 15-14 overtime win over Furman, both proved crucial.
Kelly won 11-of-14 draws and Graham won 10-of-18, helping UNC claim 21-of-32 overall. Four of Kelly's wins came on his last four faceoffs of the game, including the overtime faceoff that ultimately led to Justin Anderson's game-winning goal.
McCool leads women's lacrosse in loss
Coming off back-to-back All-America seasons and helping the 2017 United States National Team claim a gold medal at the World Cup, Marie McCool continued her stellar play in the women's lacrosse team's season opener.
In a 15-14 double-overtime loss against James Madison, McCool accounted for a team-high five points. She finished with four goals, one assist and eight draw controls.
It appeared as if McCool's final goal – which handed the Tar Heels a 14-12 lead with 5:29 left in regulation – might have given the team the edge it needed. But the Dukes scored two goals over the next 3 1/2 minutes to send the game into overtime.
Pickett off to hot start
After claiming ACC Freshman of the Year honors last season, Brittany Pickett opened her sophomore campaign with a strong performance at the UCF Friends of Jaclyn Tournament.
In helping the softball team go 3-1 – its best four-game start since the 2012 season – Pickett went 4-for-13 at the plate with a home run and six RBIs. Her two-run home run proved pivotal in UNC's season-opening 7-4 win over Butler, giving the team a 5-4 lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
Pickett also excelled on the mound. She allowed zero runs and seven hits across three games (two starts). She tossed complete-game shutouts in 2-0 wins over Louisville and UCF.
Ilse sets school record
Only six days separated Morgan Ilse from her previous race, the indoor 3,000 meters at the the Camel City Elite. But at the Music City Challenge on Friday, she overcame fatigue to break the school record in the indoor 5,000 meters.
Ilse placed second in the event with a time of 16:16.77. Addie Bracy previously held the school record in the event with a time of 16:20.38, which she ran at the Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational on March 7, 2008.
Ilse's time was also the fifth fastest in the ACC and ranks 23rd nationally.
Heilmann records win No. 25
After dropping just his fourth match of the season against Virginia Tech's Ryan Blees on Feb. 3, Troy Heilmann rebounded against N.C. State on Friday.
Heilmann scored a 5-1 decision over No. 13 Beau Donahue in the 149-pound bout. The victory marked his 25th of the season – making him the first UNC wrestler to reach that mark this season – and his eighth against a ranked opponent.
The victory was one of two for the Tar Heels, who fell 26-7 against the sixth-ranked Wolfpack.
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For the fourth straight year, the North Carolina women's team has reached the title match of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship, where it will face Pepperdine at noon Monday.
And in advancing there this season, the Tar Heels have benefitted from the strong play of sophomore Sara Daavettila.
Daavettila clinched the deciding point in UNC's 4-2 victory over Ole Miss during Friday's opening round. Despite dropping the second set, she dominated the third for a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win on court three over Sabina Machalova.
In a 4-1 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday, Daavettila once again won the deciding point, defeating No. 72 Sabrina Federici 6-3, 6-4.
The Tar Heels faced Duke in Sunday's semifinals. The Blue Devils were coming off an upset win over second-seeded Georgia on Saturday and continued their momentum early Sunday, winning four of six first sets in singles and eventually tying the match at 1.
But Daavettila helped UNC regain momentum. She beat No. 65 Kaitlyn McCarthy 6-2, 6-2, setting the stage for a 4-1 victory over Duke and the team's chance at a third ITA Indoors title in a six-year span.
Kea keeps scoring
After scoring 20 points against Virginia Tech on Wednesday and becoming the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 points in their first two seasons, Paris Kea continued her torrid scoring pace Sunday.
In a 73-54 loss at No. 23 N.C. State, Kea led the Tar Heels with 21 points. It was her 12th 20-point performance of the season.
With four games left in the regular season, Kea is averaging 19.8 points, which is on pace to become the highest figure by a UNC player since Tracy Reid averaged 20.1 during the 1997-98 campaign.
Fencing competes at Duke Meet
In the final competition for many Tar Heel fencers before the ACC Championship, the men's and women's teams combined to go 3-5 at the Duke Meet.
The men's team went 2-2 Saturday, knocking off Brandeis and Johns Hopkins. UNC's losses came against No. 5 Penn State and No. 9 Duke, but the epee squad won in both of those matches and finished 3-1 for the meet.
Competing Sunday, the women's team lost its first three matches – including a narrow 15-12 defeat against No. 7 Temple – before beating Brandeis 17-10.
Gymnastics finds success at Oklahoma
The gymnastics team traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, where it faced the daunting task of taking on No. 1 Oklahoma, the two-time defending national champion, on Sunday.
The Tar Heels fell, 198.150-195.750. But despite that result, they showed signs of promise against the Sooners.Â
UNC's overall score of 195.750 marked a season best. It also recorded season-high rotation scores on vault (49.175), floor exercise (49.275) and balance beam (49.225), with five gymnasts combining to set two personal records and tie six career-best scores.
Faceoffs key in men's lacrosse win
One of the biggest questions surrounding the men's lacrosse team entering this season was how the two-man faceoff team of senior Riley Graham and junior Charles Kelly would fare after the departure of Stephen Kelly.
The duo lost 19-of-31 faceoffs in the season opener against Lafayette. But in Saturday's 15-14 overtime win over Furman, both proved crucial.
Kelly won 11-of-14 draws and Graham won 10-of-18, helping UNC claim 21-of-32 overall. Four of Kelly's wins came on his last four faceoffs of the game, including the overtime faceoff that ultimately led to Justin Anderson's game-winning goal.
McCool leads women's lacrosse in loss
Coming off back-to-back All-America seasons and helping the 2017 United States National Team claim a gold medal at the World Cup, Marie McCool continued her stellar play in the women's lacrosse team's season opener.
In a 15-14 double-overtime loss against James Madison, McCool accounted for a team-high five points. She finished with four goals, one assist and eight draw controls.
It appeared as if McCool's final goal – which handed the Tar Heels a 14-12 lead with 5:29 left in regulation – might have given the team the edge it needed. But the Dukes scored two goals over the next 3 1/2 minutes to send the game into overtime.
Pickett off to hot start
After claiming ACC Freshman of the Year honors last season, Brittany Pickett opened her sophomore campaign with a strong performance at the UCF Friends of Jaclyn Tournament.
In helping the softball team go 3-1 – its best four-game start since the 2012 season – Pickett went 4-for-13 at the plate with a home run and six RBIs. Her two-run home run proved pivotal in UNC's season-opening 7-4 win over Butler, giving the team a 5-4 lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
Pickett also excelled on the mound. She allowed zero runs and seven hits across three games (two starts). She tossed complete-game shutouts in 2-0 wins over Louisville and UCF.
Ilse sets school record
Only six days separated Morgan Ilse from her previous race, the indoor 3,000 meters at the the Camel City Elite. But at the Music City Challenge on Friday, she overcame fatigue to break the school record in the indoor 5,000 meters.
Ilse placed second in the event with a time of 16:16.77. Addie Bracy previously held the school record in the event with a time of 16:20.38, which she ran at the Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational on March 7, 2008.
Ilse's time was also the fifth fastest in the ACC and ranks 23rd nationally.
Heilmann records win No. 25
After dropping just his fourth match of the season against Virginia Tech's Ryan Blees on Feb. 3, Troy Heilmann rebounded against N.C. State on Friday.
Heilmann scored a 5-1 decision over No. 13 Beau Donahue in the 149-pound bout. The victory marked his 25th of the season – making him the first UNC wrestler to reach that mark this season – and his eighth against a ranked opponent.
The victory was one of two for the Tar Heels, who fell 26-7 against the sixth-ranked Wolfpack.
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UNC Softball: Tar Heels Battle, Fall to Stanford, 15-12
Monday, March 23
UNC Baseball: Diamond Heels Take Series vs Louisville with Game 3 Win, 7-6
Sunday, March 22
WBB: Post-Maryland Illinois Press Conference
Sunday, March 22
UNC Women's Basketball: Tar Heels Advance to Sweet 16 with Win vs Maryland, 74-66
Sunday, March 22