University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash/ACC
Men's Tennis Earns NCAA Tournament Berth
April 27, 2026 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—For the 29th time in the last 31 NCAA Tournaments, the University of North Carolina men's tennis team has earned a bid to the NCAA field. The NCAA announced the 64-team field for 2026 on Monday afternoon, and the Tar Heels will travel to Columbia, S.C., to play Big Ten champion Michigan State (18-8) on Friday May 1 in the first round.
The winner will face the winner of Friday's match between host and 13th-seeded South Carolina (16-8) and Richmond (15-8) on Saturday.
The Tar Heels have earned a bid in 29 of the 31 NCAA Tournaments held during head coach Sam Paul's 32-year tenure in Chapel Hill (there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
"I'm so proud of this group for their resiliency and the way they stuck together," Paul says. "We lost two starters in singles and doubles by early February, but we kept fighting and persevered through some tough adversity. Now we're healthy and excited to play in this NCAA Tournament."
UNC has posted a 15-11 overall record this season, including a 6-7 mark in the always-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels have played their best late in the season, winning four of five matches prior to losing to 24th-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC Championship quarterfinals on April 17. During its late-season run, Carolina beat No. 42 Miami and No. 50 Florida State on the road and topped No. 32 Clemson in the ACC second round. All those teams were ranked higher than UNC at the time of the match.
Earlier in the season, the Tar Heels also defeated then-No. 12 Stanford, No. 38 Clemson and No. 52 Georgia Tech, all while dealing with injuries to singles and doubles starters Logan Zapp and Niels Ratiu, who later returned to the lineup to help rally the team in its late in the season.
Check back with GoHeels.com and @CarolinaTennis on X for full details on Carolina's upcoming NCAA matches.
The winner will face the winner of Friday's match between host and 13th-seeded South Carolina (16-8) and Richmond (15-8) on Saturday.
The Tar Heels have earned a bid in 29 of the 31 NCAA Tournaments held during head coach Sam Paul's 32-year tenure in Chapel Hill (there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
"I'm so proud of this group for their resiliency and the way they stuck together," Paul says. "We lost two starters in singles and doubles by early February, but we kept fighting and persevered through some tough adversity. Now we're healthy and excited to play in this NCAA Tournament."
UNC has posted a 15-11 overall record this season, including a 6-7 mark in the always-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels have played their best late in the season, winning four of five matches prior to losing to 24th-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC Championship quarterfinals on April 17. During its late-season run, Carolina beat No. 42 Miami and No. 50 Florida State on the road and topped No. 32 Clemson in the ACC second round. All those teams were ranked higher than UNC at the time of the match.
Earlier in the season, the Tar Heels also defeated then-No. 12 Stanford, No. 38 Clemson and No. 52 Georgia Tech, all while dealing with injuries to singles and doubles starters Logan Zapp and Niels Ratiu, who later returned to the lineup to help rally the team in its late in the season.
Check back with GoHeels.com and @CarolinaTennis on X for full details on Carolina's upcoming NCAA matches.
We're in!
— Carolina Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) April 27, 2026
We'll meet Michigan State on Friday in Columbia, S.C., in the NCAA Tournament first round.#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/YsLxoL9NnB
— Carolina Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) April 27, 2026
Players Mentioned
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