University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
No. 8 Carolina Advances To ACC Final With 4-3 Win
April 21, 2012 | Women's Tennis
April 21, 2012
CARY, N.C. --- Second-seeded North Carolina advanced to its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference Championship final with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over sixth-seeded Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon at the Cary Tennis Park. The win sets up a Sunday rematch with top-seeded Duke, who advanced with a 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded Virginia.
Carolina (22-5) would have to do it the hard way against the upset-minded Yellow Jackets, as the Tar Heels needed four of six singles matches after dropping a tight doubles point.
Georgia Tech (14-11) got wins on courts two and three to take the early advantage despite falling behind late. Elizabeth Kilborn and Lynn Blau were first to finish, defeating No. 69 Haley Hemm and Tessa Lyons on court two, 8-6. UNC then evened things on court one as No. 3 Shinann Featherston and Lauren McHale outlasted No. 16 Jillian O'Neill and Alex Anghelescu.
That left court three to decide the point, and UNC squandered a pair of opportunities to see out the match. Gina Suarez-Malaguti and Caroline Price got a break at 6-5 to earn a chance to serve out the match. But Muriel Wacker and Caroline Lilley broke back and then held for 7-all.
Price battled through three deuce points to hold for 8-7 before Georgia Tech held at love to force a tiebreak. UNC fell behind 3-1 before winning the next five points to earn a trio of match points. The Yellow Jacket pair spoiled all three and a fourth at 7-6, however, and then converted its own at 8-7 to take the match, 9-8 (7), and clinch the point.
But the defending champions responded well in singles, winning the opening set on four of six courts.
It was Georgia Tech who took the first singles point, with Blau scoring an impressive 6-0, 6-1 victory over Suarez-Malaguti on court five. From there, however, momentum gradually shifted in the direction of the Tar Heels.
No. 94 Price rebounded nicely from a three-set loss on Friday, dropping just two games on her way to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Anghelescu on court four. UNC then tied the match with No. 97 Featherston's 6-0, 6-2 victory over Kilborn on court three. Featherston won the first eight games of the match to take control and then took the final four after Kilborn had rallied to make it 2-all in the second.
Georgia Tech got its final point of the day on court one, as No. 14 O'Neill outlasted No. 34 McHale in two hotly-contested sets, 6-4, 6-4. McHale looked solid in her first singles action since April 12, but was unable to force a third against O'Neill.
From there Carolina needed two points from two matches, and the first came shortly after the O'Neill victory as Lyons finished off Wacker on court six, 6-3, 6-4. Lyons rallied from 4-2 down in the second to take the final four games and even the dual at 3.
No. 37 Zoe De Bruycker was up to the task of securing the final point on court two, topping Lilley in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, and sending the Tar Heels into their third consecutive ACC final.
UPDATE: The final will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C.
No. 8 North Carolina 4, No. 25 Georgia Tech 3
Doubles
1. #3 Featherston/McHale (UNC) def. #16 O'Neill/Anghelescu (GT), 8-6
2. Kilborn/Blau (GT) def. #69 Hemm/Lyons (UNC), 8-6
3. Wacker/Lilley (GT) def. Price/Suarez-Malaguti (UNC), 9-8 (7)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #14 Jillian O'Neill (GT) def. #34 Lauren McHale (UNC), 6-4, 6-4
2. #37 Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. Caroline Lilley (GT), 6-4, 6-4
3. #97 Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Elizabeth Kilborn (GT), 6-0, 6-2
4. #94 Caroline Price (UNC) def. Alex Anghelescu (GT), 6-2, 6-0
5. Lynn Blau (GT) def. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC), 6-0, 6-1
6. Tessa Lyons (UNC) def. Muriel Wacker (GT), 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 6, 2
Players Mentioned
