North Carolina
Wake Forest
No. 8 Carolina Heads To Stanford After Advancing To The Sweet Sixteen
May 13, 2006 | Women's Tennis
May 13, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Facing off for the second time this season, the eighth-ranked North Carolina and 21st-ranked Wake Forest University women's tennis teams battled it out at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Team Championships. Carolina defeated Wake Forest in the regular season 4-3 and did so again Saturday to advance to the Sweet Sixteen to be held in Palo Alto, Calif. beginning May 18. The match came down to the final two courts, each in the third sets. Junior Sara Anundsen clinched the match at the No. 3 singles over No. 125 Ana Jerman, whom she lost to in the regular season match. With the win, Carolina now stands at 26-6 on the season.
The Tar Heels claimed a 1-0 lead after a hard-fought doubles point. Juniors Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long, a duo ranked sixth in the nation, jumped off to a quick start taking down Alex Hirsch and Sierra Poske 8-4. At No. 3 doubles, Carolina freshmen Meg Fanjoy and Austin Smith took on Christian Tara and Christine Simpson in a point-for-point battle. The Carolina duo took the lead after a four-all tie and closed out Tara and Simpson 8-4, clinching the doubles point for North Carolina.
In rematches at the one through four seeds, play resembled the North Carolina-Wake Forest match-up on March 29. Austin Smith claimed her first set over Christian Tara 6-2 at the four seed, as did senior Tanja Markovic at the six seed, who took her first set 6-3 over Christine Simpson. Smith and Markovic both battled back from 0-1 deficits in the second set to take the lead 4-3. Smith came out on top, with a 6-2, 6-3 victory, while Markovic pushed the score to a Carolina 3-1 lead with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. At number two and three singles, Caitlin Collins and Anundsen each won the first set, but dropped the second to No. 123 Ashlee Davis and No. 125 Ana Jerman, respectively.
With Carolina clinging to a 3-2 lead, No. 123 Ashlee Davis defeated No. 75 Collins 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Wake Forest tied the match at three-all with the win at the two seed, leaving the victory at the three seed. Anundsen battled through leg cramps to defeat the Demon Deacon freshman Jerman, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 at the two seed. Anundsen's match-clinching victory avenged a straight set defeat to Jerman in their regular season meeting.
The Tar Heels have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen four times in the past five years. North Carolina will head to Palo Alto, Calif. to face arch-rival Duke at 6 p.m. PST on Thursday May 18.
Head coach Brian Kalbas: "Two even teams, we beat them 4-3 both times. The doubles point was very important. It gave us some momentum and we carried that into singles. But they're just a very tough team. And for us, it was just a great effort.
"It was so exciting to have Sara [Anundsen] clinch the match and Tanja [Markovic], another senior, win her match. It was just a storybook ending."
No. 8 North Carolina 4, No. 21 Wake Forest 3
Doubles:
1. No. 6 Sara Anundsen/Jenna Long (UNC) d. Alex Hirsch/Sierra Poske (WFU) 8-4
2. Caitlin Collins/Tanja Markovic (UNC) vs. Ashlee Davis/Ana Jerman (WFU) 7-7 DNF
3. Meg Fanjoy/Austin Smith (UNC) d. Christian Tara/Christine Simpson (WFU) 8-4
Order of finish: 1, 3
Singles:
1. No. 44 Alex Hirsch (WFU) d. No. 38 Jenna Long (UNC) 6-3, 7-5
2. No. 123 Ashlee Davis (WFU)d. No. 75 Caitlin Collins (UNC) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. No. 103 Sara Anundsen (UNC) d. No. 125 Ana Jerman (WFU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-4*
4. Austin Smith (UNC) d. Christian Tara (WFU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Sierra Poske (WFU) d. Laura Reichert (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Tanja Markovic (UNC) d. Christine Simpson (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 5, 2, 3
*Clinched the match
Players Mentioned
