North Carolina
Duke
UNC Tops Duke, Clinches ACC Regular Season Title
April 15, 2015 | Women's Tennis
North Carolina (25-0, 13-0 Atlantic Coast Confernece) recovered from a difficult doubles session to sweep through singles play and finish the regular season with a perfect 11-0 home record.
Carolina was upended in doubles for the first time all season long, allowing the Blue Devils to gain an early 1-0 advantage over the host Tar Heels.
Duke's Annie Muholland and Chalena Scholl defeated the 49th-ranked duo of Ashley Dai and Kate Vialle 8-4 on court three, then No. 51 Beatrice Capra and Samantha Harris toppled No. 27 Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay on court two to seal the doubles point for the visitors.
Caroline Price and Jamie Loeb, ranked 11th, led 7-4 on court one over Ester Goldfield and Alyssa Smith before the match was left unfinished.
The Tar Heels immediately responded in the singles session, winning the first set on five of the six courts. However, Duke battled and kept Carolina scoreless for nearly three hours of the match.
North Carolina squared the match at 1-1 after No. 111 Dai defeated Duke's Mulholland 6-2, 7-5 on court six. Dai rolled in set one and led 3-0 in set two before surrendering four straight games to trail for the first time. However, Dai rallied and won four of the last five games to clinch Carolina's first point.
No. 6 Loeb finished almost immediately after Dai, defeating No. 116 Capra 6-2, 6-4 on court one to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the day. The reigning ITA National Player of the Year remains unbeaten in the conference with a 13-0 mark against the ACC.
No. 25 Price then scored a three-set victory on court three over No. 84 Harris 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 to put Carolina up 3-1 overall. Price, who celebrated her senior night, moved to 22-2 (12-1) on the spring season, which leads the country in wins.
UNC clinched the match 4-1 and reeled off its fourth-straight singles win with 15th-ranked Carter's 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 win over 37th-ranked Goldfield on court two. Carter controlled the first set, but fell behind 5-0 in the second set, allowing Goldfield to steal the second frame. However, Carter responded with her own 5-0 lead in the third set en route to the swift third set win.
Carolina clinched the match and left two matches unfinished. No. 97 Kay led No. 121 Rachel Kahan 6-3, 6-6 on court four and Kate Vialle was tied with Scholl 4-6, 6-4, 1-1 on court five when the match was called.
The Tar Heels hit the road for their regular season finale this Friday at 5 p.m. against Boston College.
Tennis Match Results
Duke vs North Carolina
Apr 15, 2015 at Chapel Hill, NC
(Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
#1 North Carolina 4, #23 Duke 1
Singles competition
1. #6 Jamie Loeb (NC) def. #116 Beatrice Capra (DU) 6-2, 6-4
2. #15 Hayley Carter (NC) def. #37 Ester Goldfeld (DU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
3. #25 Caroline Price (NC) def. #84 Samantha Harris (DU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
4. #97 Whitney Kay (NC) vs. #121 Rachel Kahan (DU) 6-3, 6-6, unfinished
5. Kate Vialle (NC) vs. Chalena Scholl (DU) 4-6, 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
6. #111 Ashley Dai (NC) def. Annie Mulholland (DU) 6-2, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #11 Caroline Price/Jamie Loeb (NC) vs. Ester Goldfeld/Alyssa Smith (DU) 7-4, unfinished
2. #51 Beatrice Capra/Samantha Harris (DU) def. #27 Hayley Carter/Whitney Kay (NC) 8-3
3. Annie Mulholland/Chalena Scholl (DU) def. #49 Ashley Dai/Kate Vialle (NC) 8-4
Match Notes:
Duke 14-8; National ranking #23; Regional ranking #3
North Carolina 25-0; National ranking #1; Regional ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,1,3,2)
T-3:06 A-194
Players Mentioned
