North Carolina
Virginia Tech
No. 13 Tar Heels Drop No. 56 Virginia Tech, 6-1
April 13, 2008 | Women's Tennis
April 13, 2008
BLACKSBURG, Va. --- No. 13 North Carolina closed out its regular season schedule Sunday with a 6-1 win over No. 56 Virginia Tech at the Burrows/Burleson Tennis Complex. UNC claimed five of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches for its fourth win in five outings. The Tar Heels are now 16-7 and 7-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Hokies dropped to 14-12 (2-9 ACC).
Carolina overpowered the homestanding Hokies at the top two positions to claim the doubles point. No. 3 Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand and No. 51 Austin Smith and Katrina Tsang captured matching 8-1 victories to give UNC an impressive early lead. Virginia Tech's Jessica Long and Yasmin Hamza topped senior Alexandra Jurewitz and junior Laura Reichert, 8-3, at No. 3.
In singles, it was once again the players at the top of the lineup that set the tone. Marand, who has been among the nation's best players all season, completed her regular season with a 21-1 dual match record thanks to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Virginia Tech's Inga Beermann. No. 29 Tsang was next off at the No. 2 position, dispatching No. 120 Hamsa in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.
With UNC already in command, Reichert clinched the victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win over J.J. Larson at No. 4. The Hokies' lone point of the day came next, as Jessica Brouwer topped Grabinski in a third-set tiebreak, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6).
Junior Meg Fanjoy then made it 5-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Holly Johnson at No. 6. Fanjoy has been playing some of her best tennis of the season in recent weeks, as Sunday's win was her fifth in a row and her eighth in 10 ACC matches.
Her classmate Smith was the final Tar Heel to finish, as the No. 97 singles player in the nation defeated Tech's Long in a third-set tiebreak, 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (8).
Carolina will now await its draw in next weekend's ACC Tennis Championship. Play at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla., begins Thursday and runs through April 20. Seedings are expected to be released Monday.
DOUBLES
1. #3 Grabinski/Marand (UNC) def. Brouwer/Larson (VT), 8-1
2. #51 Smith/Tsang (UNC) def. Beermann/Johnson (VT), 8-1
3. Long/Hamza (VT) def. Reichert/Alexandra Jurewitz (UNC), 8-3
Order of finish: 1,2*,3
SINGLES
1. #8 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. Inga Beermann (VT), 6-1, 6-1
2. #29 Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. #120 Yasmin Hamza (VT), 6-4, 6-1
3. #97 Austin Smith (UNC) def. Jessica Long (VT), 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (8)
4. Laura Reichert (UNC) def. J.J. Larson (VT), 6-3, 6-4
5. Jessica Brouwer (VT) def. Sophie Grabinski (UNC), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6)
6. Meg Fanjoy (UNC) def. Holly Johnson (VT), 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 1,2,4*,5,6,3
Players Mentioned
