North Carolina
Duke
No. 11 Carolina Tops No. 1 Duke For Spot In ITA Finals
February 14, 2010 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 14, 2010
MADISON, Wis. --- No. 11 North Carolina continued its dream run through the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a heart-stopping 4-3 win over No. 1 Duke Saturday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin's Nielson Tennis Stadium. The win, Carolina's first-ever victory over a top-ranked team, puts the Tar Heels into Monday's final against No. 2 Northwestern.
"This is just an amazing accomplishment for our team," head coach Brian Kalbas said after the match. "Duke is ranked No. 1 for a reason, they are a tremendous team, and to have a chance to play for a national championship tomorrow is a dream come true."
UNC (10-0) won the doubles point for the 10th match in a row to take the early lead.
No. 22 Katrina Tsang and Shinann Featherston were first off at No. 2 doubles, dropping Reka Zsilinszka and Elizabeth Plotkin, 8-3. Duke pulled even with a 9-8 (4) win at No. 3 before the senior duo of No. 6 Sanaz Marand and Sophie Grabinski finished off Ellah Nze and Amanda Granson, 8-6, to seal the point.
Unlike previous matches in the event, all six courts began simultaneously in singles, and UNC took advantage right away. Tsang, who had lost her previous two singles matches in Madison, stormed past No. 20 Zsilinszka at the top of the lineup, 6-2, 6-1, giving Carolina a 2-0 lead.
"Katrina provided us with an instant boost at No. 1," Kalbas said. "It gives everyone so much confidence knowing that on any given day anyone in the lineup can pick us up."
No. 63 Moncia Gorny would get the Blue Devils (7-1) on the board at No. 5 with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Grabinski, but the Tar Heels answered right back. Freshman Zoe De Bruycker topped Duke's Granson, 6-4, 7-6, pushing Carolina to within one point of the finals.
"Zoe just kept battling and competing," Kalbas said. "To rally from down 5-2 in the second set against such a talented, veteran player like Granson was really impressive."
Duke, however, would not go away, winning the next two matches to even the score at 3. Mary Clayton topped Featherston at No. 6 in a pair of tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6, before Plotkin finished off Jelena Durisic at No. 3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
With five matches completed, it was left to Marand and Nze to decide the outcome in a winner-take-all final set. Marand won the opening set in a tiebreak before Nze took the second, 6-4.
The two veteran standouts were even throughout the final set before Marand finally gained a match point at 5-4. After a lengthy rally, Marand hit a drop shot winner to secure the final point and the match for Carolina.
The win puts Carolina into Monday's final against No. 2 Northwestern, which was a 4-3 winner over No. 3 California on Saturday.
Live scoring for the match, which is set to begin at 11 a.m. CT, will be available at http://www.uwathletics.com/live/tns/championship/xlive.htm.
No. 11 North Carolina 4, No. 1 Duke 3
Doubles
1. #6 Sanaz Marand/Sophie Grabinski (UNC) def. Ellah Nze/Amanda Granson (DU), 8-6
2. #22 Katrina Tsang/Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Reka Zsilinszka/Elizabeth Plotkin (DU), 8-3
3. Monica Gorny/Jessica Stiles (DU) def. Jocelyn Ffriend/Haley Hemm (UNC), 9-8 (4)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #100 Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. #20 Reka Zsilinszka (DU), 6-2, 6-1
2. #25 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. #91 Ellah Nze (DU), 7-6, 4-6, 6-4
3. Elizabeth Plotkin (DU) def. Jelena Durisic (UNC), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. #80 Amanda Granson (DU), 6-4, 7-6
5. #63 Monica Gorny (DU) def. Sophie Grabinski (UNC), 6-4, 6-0
6. Mary Clayton (DU) def. Shinann Featherston (UNC), 7-6, 7-6
Order of finish: 1, 5, 4, 6, 3, 2
Players Mentioned
