North Carolina
Duke
Carolina Advances To NCAA Sweet 16 With 4-1 Win Over Duke
May 13, 2007 | Women's Tennis
May 13, 2007
CHAPEL HILL --- The No. 11 North Carolina women's tennis team won a dramatic doubles point and took three of four singles matches to defeat No. 22 Duke 4-1 Sunday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. With the win, Carolina advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third straight season and ends Duke's season for the second time in three years.
The Blue Devils (12-11) took an early lead in doubles play with an 8-5 win at No. 3. UNC (23-8) quickly evened the score with an 8-4 win by No. 29 Caitlin Collins and Sanaz Marand at No. 2, setting up a dramatic finish at No. 1.
Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long, the nation's No. 2 doubles tandem, fell behind 6-1 to No. 10 Daniela Bercek and Melissa Mang at No. 1. Trailing love-40 in the eighth game, the Tar Heel duo rallied, eventually holding serve. Anundsen and Long proceeded to win three more games to make it 6-5. The match would ultimately end in a tiebreak, with UNC prevailing 7-2 to clinch the doubles point.
The momentum of the doubles win carried over into singles action, as Carolina won the first set in five of six matches. Duke briefly tied the score at 1, as Elizabeth Plotkin defeated Caitlin Collins 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3 singles.
But it would be all UNC the rest of the way, as No. 10 Long, No. 50 Sanaz Marand and No. 102 Austin Smith claimed straight-set victories to clinch the match and send the Tar Heels to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., next Friday.
The win marked Carolina's third straight in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and just the fourth berth in the Sweet 16 in school history. The Tar Heels will face Notre Dame Friday afternoon at 3 for a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals.
The victory over the Blue Devils also retained the one point for women's tennis in the Carlyle Cup, the annual all-sport competition between the two schools. UNC and Duke are currently tied at 13.
No. 11 UNC 4, No. 22 Duke 1
Doubles
1. No. 2 Anundsen/Long (UNC) def. No. 10 Bercek/Mang (Duke), 9-8 (2)
2. No. 29 Collins/Marand (UNC) def. Zawacki/Plotkin (Duke), 8-4
3. Jessi Robinson/Granson (Duke) def. Smith/Meg Fanjoy (UNC), 8-5
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. No. 10 Jenna Long (UNC) def. No. 67 Daniela Bercek (Duke), 6-3, 6-1
2. No. 45 Katrina Tsang (UNC) led No. 101 Melissa Mang (Duke), 6-2, 5-5 (susp.)
3. Elizabeth Plotkin (Duke) def. Caitlin Collins (UNC), 6-0, 6-2
4. Sara Anundsen (UNC) led Amanda Granson (Duke), 6-3, 5-3 (susp.)
5. No. 102 Austin Smith (UNC) def. Tory Zawacki (Duke), 6-2, 6-4
6. No. 50 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. Clelia Deltour (Duke), 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 5
Players Mentioned
