North Carolina
Notre Dame
No. 17 Carolina Upends No. 6 Notre Dame, 5-2
January 31, 2010 | Women's Tennis
Jan. 31, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. --- No. 17 North Carolina rallied to win a critical doubles point and claimed four of six singles matches to earn a 5-2 upset victory over No. 6 Notre Dame in the final match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend Sunday afternoon at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. With the victory, Carolina earns a berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships Feb. 12-15 at the University of Wisconsin's Nielson Tennis Stadium.
Neither UNC (5-0) nor Notre Dame (3-1) had lost a doubles point so far in 2010, and it appeared early on that the Fighting Irish would get the better of things. In a matchup of nationally-ranked tandems, No. 12 Kristy Frilling and Kali Krisik fought back from an early 2-0 hole to down No. 6 Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand, 8-4, at the top doubles position.
No. 22 Katrina Tsang and Shinann Featherston would pull the Tar Heels back even at No. 2, topping Cosmina Ciobanu and Chrissie McGaffigan in a tight match, 8-6. That left it up to the sophomore duo of Haley Hemm and Jocelyn Ffriend, who got off to a slow start and trailed 5-3. But the No. 28-ranked tandem won five of the final six games of the match to score an 8-6 victory and give Carolina the all-important doubles point.
As has been the case for most of the early dual match season, the strength of the bottom of the Carolina lineup proved to be a huge advantage for the visitors. Grabinski and Featherston overpowered their opponents at the Nos. 5 and 6 positions, respectively, dropping just five games between them and giving UNC a quick 3-0 lead.
On the verge of an upset loss, Notre Dame pulled back a point at the top of the lineup, with No. 30 Frilling defeating No. 100 Tsang, 6-4, 6-1.
It would be a temporary reprieve for the Irish, however, as No. 25 Marand rolled past Shannon Mathews at the No. 2 position, 6-2, 6-1, to clinch the victory for Carolina and guarantee the Tar Heels a spot in next month's ITA Team Indoor Championships.
The final two matches of the afternoon would be decided in a third-set tiebreak, with Jelena Durisic holding off McGaffigan, 4-6, 7-6, (10-7) at No. 3, and Krisik topping Zoe De Bruycker, 4-6, 6-4, (11-9) at No. 4.
Carolina will make its seventh consecutive appearance in the ITA National Indoor Championships, the most prestigious in-season event in collegiate tennis. Pairings will be announced prior to the event, which begins Feb. 12 in Madison, Wis.
Next up for UNC, however, is a weekend doubleheader in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will host Wisconsin, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 11 a.m., followed by a match with in-state foe Elon at 5 p.m. Admission to all matches at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center is free.
No. 17 North Carolina 5, No. 6 Notre Dame 2
Doubles
1. #12 Frilling/Krisik (ND) def. #6 Marand/Grabinski (UNC) 8-4
2. #22 Featherston/Tsang (UNC) def. Ciobanu/McGaffigan (ND) 8-6
3. #28 Hemm/Ffriend (UNC) def. Mathews/Rielley (ND) 8-6
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. #30 Kristy Frilling (ND) def. #100 Katrina Tsang (UNC) 6-4, 6-1
2. #25 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. Shannon Mathews (ND) 6-2, 6-1
3. Jelena Durisic (UNC) def. Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-7)
4. Kali Krisik (ND) def. Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9)
5. Sophie Grabinski (UNC) def. Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) 6-0, 6-1
6. Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Colleen Rielley (ND) 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 2, 4, 3
Players Mentioned
