UNC, Stanford Square Off Thursday

Thursday, May 17

Winston-Salem, N.C.

12:00 PM

North Carolina

Stanford

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Alle Sanford
University of North Carolina Women's Tennis v Mississippi State
NCAA Tournament
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center
Chapel Hill, NC
Saturday, May 12, 2018

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

May 16, 2018 | Women's Tennis

Live Streaming & Scoring

By: Mark Kimmel

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The next hurdle in the journey to the first NCAA National Team Championship in North Carolina's illustrious women's tennis history will be a familiar foe on Thursday when the second-seeded Tar Heels face No. 15 seed Stanford at 12 p.m.

No. 1 ranked North Carolina (28-3) faces a Cardinal team ranked 15th nationally and rides a 16-match winning streak into what has to be the most anticipated Round of 16 matchup of the day that pits these two powerhouse programs head-to-head for the second year in a row in the NCAA bracket.

Last year, a four-hour battle that ultimately moved indoors in Athens, Georgia, due to rain went in favor of Stanford, 4-2.

Both clubs are coming off a pair of 4-0 shutouts in the opening rounds of last weekend's regional play. UNC took care of Morgan State and Mississippi State, while Stanford disposed of St. John's and Michigan.

The Tar Heels and Cardinal are the only two programs to boast six ranked singles players according to the most recent set of Oracle/ITA rankings. North Carolina's No. 2 ranked Makenna Jones is the highest rated player among the two teams, while freshman Michaela Gordon paces Stanford at No. 15. They will likely square off on court No. 1 come Thursday.

Freshman Alle Sanford checks in at No. 26 and is coming off an impressive victory over Janina Braun of Mississippi State. No. 46 Sara Daavettila is one of three UNC players in the NCAA Singles field and is a victory shy of 30 for the year.

No. 85 Jessie Aney brings her 102 career singles wins to the match, while No. 95 Alexa Graham leads the nation with 25 victories in dual matches this spring. No. 119 Chloe Ouellet-Pizer has never lost in postseason action with a 10-0 all-time mark.

In doubles, Aney and Graham are the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Doubles Championship and are also ranked second in the nation. Daavettila and Sanford check in No. 33 this week and at No. 3 doubles, Marika Akkerman and Makenna Jones have won seven-straight matches and are 14-3 on the year.