Photo by: Mark Black
Daavettila Leads Five Named On ITA Indoors All-Tournament Team
February 13, 2020 | Women's Tennis
CHICAGO - Sara Daavettila has been at her best in the biggest moments of her college tennis career. And because of that, she has become the first player to ever receive the Most Outstanding Player award twice at the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship.
Daavettila led five Tar Heels named to the ITA Indoor All-Tournament team, announced Thursday after a vote by the 16 participating head coaches. Daavettila, Alexa Graham, Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty were selected for their singles play, while Cameron Morra and Scotty earned recognition for their outstanding doubles work.Â
Ranked No. 4 nationally in singles, Daavettila offered consistency and confidence at the No. 2 singles position during her team's journey to the championship. She won her first three singles matches in straight sets - setting the pace for Carolina throughout the tournament. Daavettila defeated No. 43 Anna Rogers of NC State, 7-5, 6-1. She also paired with Graham to take down Rogers and Smith - ranked No. 1 doubles - 6-1 to clinch the doubles point against the Wolfpack.Â
The Tar Heel stalwart is playing perhaps the best tennis of her collegiate career in her final season in Chapel Hill. Daavettila is 17-2 overall in singles play, hasn't lost since Oct. 11 and has won 12 straight matches leading into this weekend's doubleheader against East Carolina and Charlotte.Â
Daavettila was the UTR/ITA Player of the Month in November after winning the ITA Fall National Championship, and more recently was awarded the UTR/ITA Player of the Week honor on Feb. 11 after leading her club to the fourth indoor national championship in program history.
She continues to be one of only three players in program history to be honored as the MOP of the tournament. Whitney Kay (2013) and Caroline Price (2015) were the first two honorees, before Daavettila has brought home the most recent two in 2018 and now 2020.Â
Daavettila amassed a 13-0 career singles record at the ITA's signature team event.Â
Graham was named to the all-tournament team for the third year in a row. The Garden City, N.Y., native was 2-0 at No. 1 singles with victories over No. 20 Alana Smith of NC State and No. 14 Elysia Bolton of UCLA in the title match. She was on the 2019 all-tournament team at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles, and at No. 4 singles and again at No. 1 doubles with Jessie Aney in 2018.Â
Scotty garnered a spot at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles in her first appearance in the event. She was 2-0 in singles play and a perfect 4-0 with Morra in doubles.Â
Jones, the senior from Greenville, landed on the list at No. 5 singles after a stellar performance that resulted in a 3-0 singles record. She defeated No. 17 Chloe Beck of Duke in the semifinals and No. 112 Annette Goulak of UCLA in the championship match.Â
ITA DI Women's Indoors Most Outstanding Player - Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
No. 1 Singles: Alexa Graham, North Carolina
DNF Ilze Hattingh (Arizona State) 7-6(0) 0-1
def Alana Smith (NC State) 6-0 1-6 6-3
DNF Kelly Chen (Duke) 2-6 5-6
def Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 7-6(4) 6-3
No. 2 Singles: Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
def Sammi Hampton (Arizona State) 6-4 6-1
def Anna Rogers (NC State) 7-5 6-1
def Yasmine Mansouri (Duke) 6-1 6-1
DNF Abbey Forbes (UCLA) 7-5 3-6
No. 3 Singles: Jada Hart, UCLA
def Alexandra Belaya (Illinois) 6-2 6-2
DNF Nandini Das (Florida State) 6-3 4-3
def Angelica Blake (Stanford) 6-2 6-1
DNF Cameron Morra (North Carolina) 6-0 4-6 2-2
No. 4 Singles: Elizabeth Scotty, North Carolina
def Lauryn John-Baptiste (Arizona State) 6-0 6-1
DNF Lexi Keberle (NC State) 2-6 6-5
DNF Meible Chi (Duke) 6-2 5-7
def Abi Altick (UCLA) 6-4 6-1
No. 5 Singles: Makenna Jones, North Carolina
def Cali Jankowski (Arizona State) 6-0 6-2
DNF Jaeda Daniel (NC State) 2-6 6-1 1-1
def Chloe Beck (Duke) 6-4 6-3
def Annette Goulak (UCLA) 6-0 6-2
No. 6 Singles: Sasha Vagramov, UCLA
def Emilee Duong (Illinois) 6-1 6-3
def Andrea Garcia (Florida State) 6-0 6-4
def Emma Higuchi (Stanford) 6-3 6-3
DNF Alle Sanford (UCLA) 2-6 6-6
No. 1 Doubles: Jada Hart/Elysia Bolton, UCLA
def Emilee Duong/Josie Frazier (Illinois) 6-1
def Victoria Allen/Petra Hule (Florida State) 6-3
def Emily Arbuthnott/Angelica Blake (Stanford) 6-1
def Sara Daavettila/Alexa Graham (North Carolina) 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Margaryta Bilokin/Meible Chi, Duke
def Anastasia Iamachkine/Astrid Brune Olsen (Pepperdine) 6-4
def Elena Christofi/Marta Gonzalez (Georgia) 6-2
DNF Makenna Jones/Alle Sanford (North Carolina) 5-2
No. 3 Doubles: Cameron Morra/Elizabeth Scotty, North Carolina
def Sammi Hampton/Sasa Klanecek (Arizona State) 6-0
def Lexi Keberle/Liz Norman (NC State) 6-0
def Summer Dvorak/Yasmine Mansouri (Duke) 6-4
def Abbey Forbes/Annette Goulak (UCLA) 6-2
Daavettila led five Tar Heels named to the ITA Indoor All-Tournament team, announced Thursday after a vote by the 16 participating head coaches. Daavettila, Alexa Graham, Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty were selected for their singles play, while Cameron Morra and Scotty earned recognition for their outstanding doubles work.Â
Ranked No. 4 nationally in singles, Daavettila offered consistency and confidence at the No. 2 singles position during her team's journey to the championship. She won her first three singles matches in straight sets - setting the pace for Carolina throughout the tournament. Daavettila defeated No. 43 Anna Rogers of NC State, 7-5, 6-1. She also paired with Graham to take down Rogers and Smith - ranked No. 1 doubles - 6-1 to clinch the doubles point against the Wolfpack.Â
The Tar Heel stalwart is playing perhaps the best tennis of her collegiate career in her final season in Chapel Hill. Daavettila is 17-2 overall in singles play, hasn't lost since Oct. 11 and has won 12 straight matches leading into this weekend's doubleheader against East Carolina and Charlotte.Â
Daavettila was the UTR/ITA Player of the Month in November after winning the ITA Fall National Championship, and more recently was awarded the UTR/ITA Player of the Week honor on Feb. 11 after leading her club to the fourth indoor national championship in program history.
She continues to be one of only three players in program history to be honored as the MOP of the tournament. Whitney Kay (2013) and Caroline Price (2015) were the first two honorees, before Daavettila has brought home the most recent two in 2018 and now 2020.Â
Daavettila amassed a 13-0 career singles record at the ITA's signature team event.Â
Graham was named to the all-tournament team for the third year in a row. The Garden City, N.Y., native was 2-0 at No. 1 singles with victories over No. 20 Alana Smith of NC State and No. 14 Elysia Bolton of UCLA in the title match. She was on the 2019 all-tournament team at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles, and at No. 4 singles and again at No. 1 doubles with Jessie Aney in 2018.Â
Scotty garnered a spot at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles in her first appearance in the event. She was 2-0 in singles play and a perfect 4-0 with Morra in doubles.Â
Jones, the senior from Greenville, landed on the list at No. 5 singles after a stellar performance that resulted in a 3-0 singles record. She defeated No. 17 Chloe Beck of Duke in the semifinals and No. 112 Annette Goulak of UCLA in the championship match.Â
ITA DI Women's Indoors Most Outstanding Player - Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
No. 1 Singles: Alexa Graham, North Carolina
DNF Ilze Hattingh (Arizona State) 7-6(0) 0-1
def Alana Smith (NC State) 6-0 1-6 6-3
DNF Kelly Chen (Duke) 2-6 5-6
def Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 7-6(4) 6-3
No. 2 Singles: Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
def Sammi Hampton (Arizona State) 6-4 6-1
def Anna Rogers (NC State) 7-5 6-1
def Yasmine Mansouri (Duke) 6-1 6-1
DNF Abbey Forbes (UCLA) 7-5 3-6
No. 3 Singles: Jada Hart, UCLA
def Alexandra Belaya (Illinois) 6-2 6-2
DNF Nandini Das (Florida State) 6-3 4-3
def Angelica Blake (Stanford) 6-2 6-1
DNF Cameron Morra (North Carolina) 6-0 4-6 2-2
No. 4 Singles: Elizabeth Scotty, North Carolina
def Lauryn John-Baptiste (Arizona State) 6-0 6-1
DNF Lexi Keberle (NC State) 2-6 6-5
DNF Meible Chi (Duke) 6-2 5-7
def Abi Altick (UCLA) 6-4 6-1
No. 5 Singles: Makenna Jones, North Carolina
def Cali Jankowski (Arizona State) 6-0 6-2
DNF Jaeda Daniel (NC State) 2-6 6-1 1-1
def Chloe Beck (Duke) 6-4 6-3
def Annette Goulak (UCLA) 6-0 6-2
No. 6 Singles: Sasha Vagramov, UCLA
def Emilee Duong (Illinois) 6-1 6-3
def Andrea Garcia (Florida State) 6-0 6-4
def Emma Higuchi (Stanford) 6-3 6-3
DNF Alle Sanford (UCLA) 2-6 6-6
No. 1 Doubles: Jada Hart/Elysia Bolton, UCLA
def Emilee Duong/Josie Frazier (Illinois) 6-1
def Victoria Allen/Petra Hule (Florida State) 6-3
def Emily Arbuthnott/Angelica Blake (Stanford) 6-1
def Sara Daavettila/Alexa Graham (North Carolina) 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Margaryta Bilokin/Meible Chi, Duke
def Anastasia Iamachkine/Astrid Brune Olsen (Pepperdine) 6-4
def Elena Christofi/Marta Gonzalez (Georgia) 6-2
DNF Makenna Jones/Alle Sanford (North Carolina) 5-2
No. 3 Doubles: Cameron Morra/Elizabeth Scotty, North Carolina
def Sammi Hampton/Sasa Klanecek (Arizona State) 6-0
def Lexi Keberle/Liz Norman (NC State) 6-0
def Summer Dvorak/Yasmine Mansouri (Duke) 6-4
def Abbey Forbes/Annette Goulak (UCLA) 6-2
Players Mentioned
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