University of North Carolina Athletics
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Baylor
No. 11 Carolina Rolls Into ITA Semis With Win Over No. 5 Baylor
February 14, 2010 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 13, 2010
MADISON, Wis. --- No. 11 North Carolina knocked off its second top-10 opponent in as many days as the Tar Heels defeated No. 5 Baylor, 5-2, Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the University of Wisconsin's Nielson Tennis Stadium. After sweeping the doubles point, Carolina got wins in four of six singles matches to advance to Sunday's semifinals, where the Tar Heels will meet Atlantic Coast Conference rival and top-seeded Duke.
Carolina (9-0) stormed out of the gate in doubles to take the all-important early advantage. Fresh off a loss in Friday's match with Georgia, No. 6 Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand wasted no time in getting the Tar Heels going with an 8-2 win over No. 13 Csilla Borsanyi and Lenka Broosova at No. 1. No. 22 Katrina Tsang and Shinann Featherston then clinched the point with an 8-6 win at No. 2 before No. 28 Haley Hemm and Jocelyn Ffriend completed the sweep with an 8-5 win at No. 3.
"I think Sophie and Sanaz really did a great job of putting on the pressure by getting off the court so fast," head coach Brian Kalbas said after the match. "Sweeping doubles against a great team like Baylor gave us a lot of momentum going into singles."
With play beginning on courts one, three and five, Baylor (4-1) moved ahead with a pair of wins at Nos. 1 and 3. No. 24 Nina Secerbegovic tied the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jelena Durisic at No. 3, and No. 17 Broosova gave the Lady Bears their first lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Tsang at the top of the lineup.
But Grabinski would quickly pull the Tar Heels back even with her 6-1, 7-5 win over Taylor Ormond at No. 5, setting the stage for Carolina to score another upset.
"For Sophie to play so well with us trailing on the other two courts and against an opponent who was playing at No. 1 last season, I thought it made a big difference for us going into the final three matches," Kalbas said.
With the even courts left to decide the match, UNC went back in front thanks to another dominant performance by Featherston at No. 6. The Rockaway Park, N.Y., sophomore extended her unbeaten dual record to 8-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Carla Lindlar.
No. 25 Marand started well at No. 2 against No. 70 Borsanyi, winning the first set, 6-1. But the Katy, Texas, senior soon found herself in a 3-0 hole in the second set, while freshman Zoe De Bruycker had fallen behind a set at No. 4 against Karolina Filipiak.
Marand would put Carolina over the top, however, rallying to win six of the final seven games to secure a 6-1, 6-4 win and yet another upset win for the Tar Heels at the ITA National Indoor Championships. De Bruycker took the final point of the match courtesy of a third-set tiebreak, outlasting Filipiak, 4-6, 6-4, (10-7).
"It was a great back-and-forth match and we had three warriors going in those last three matches," Kalbas said. "We just kept battling and we found a way to get it done."
UNC has now defeated four top-10 opponents in the last three trips to Madison. In 2008, the Tar Heels defeated No. 2 UCLA and No. 8 USC on back-to-back nights.
Carolina will now face a familiar foe, as the Tar Heels meet defending national champion and Triangle rival Duke Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
"We knew going in that if we kept advancing we'd probably end up playing Duke," Kalbas said. "We've competed with them in about every possible setting and we're looking forward to another great match."
No. 11 North Carolina 5, No. 5 Baylor 2
Doubles
1. #6 Sophie Grabinski/Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. #13 Csilla Borsanyi/Lenka Broosova (BU) 8-2
2. #22 Katrina Tsang/Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Taylor Ormond/Carla Lindlar (BU) 8-6
3. #28 Haley Hemm/Jocelyn Ffriend (UNC) def. Nina Secerbegovic/Karolina Filipiak (BU) 8-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. #17 Lenka Broosova (BU) def. #100 Katrina Tsang (UNC) 6-3, 6-1
2. #25 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. #70 Csilla Borsanyi (BU) 6-1, 6-4
3. #24 Nina Secerbegovic (BU) def. Jelena Durisic (UNC) 6-2, 6-1
4. Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. Karolina Filipiak (BU), 4-6, 6-4, (10-7)
5. Sophie Grabinski (UNC) def. Taylor Ormond (BU) 6-1, 7-5
6. Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Carla Lindlar (BU) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 5, 6, 2*, 4
Players Mentioned
