Sara Anundsen - Women's Tennis Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Sara Anundsen

Title:
Assistant Coach

Former NCAA doubles champion and two-time All-America performer Sara Anundsen spent six seasons as an assistant coach for the North Carolina women’s tennis team, before leaving after the 2013-14 season to take over as head coach at Davidson College.

Anundsen, a 2007 UNC graduate, combined with Jenna Long to win the 2007 NCAA doubles title - the first national championship in program history.

Anundsen, who spent the 2007-08 season as an assistant at Princeton, returned to Chapel Hill to replace former assistant Tari Ann Toro in the summer of 2008.

With Anundsen back in the fold, Carolina has experienced unprecedented success on the court. In her first year as an assistant, the Tar Heels advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and junior Sanaz Marand earned All-America honors after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles event. In addition, Marand and doubles partner Sophie Grabinski earned All-America honors for their play.

The 2009-10 campaign was a new high for the program, as the Tar Heels advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in school history. Anundsen earned ITA Carolina Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors for her efforts as the Tar Heels finished with a school-record 30 wins and an Atlantic Coast Conference-record 11-0 mark in league play.

The 2011 Tar Heels followed that up with a run to the national quarterfinals as well as the program’s first ACC title since 2002. Three Carolina players earned All-America honors - the doubles tandem of Shinann Featherston and Lauren McHale as well as singles standout Zoe De Bruycker - and Anundsen was named ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year after earning regional honors for the second straight season.

Expectations were sky high leading into the 2013-14 season with the additions of blue chip prospects Jamie Loeb and Hayley Carter to an already seasoned roster. The newcomers did not disappoint as Loeb was named ITA National Player and Rookie of the Year, while Carter was the ITA National Player to Watch and the ACC Rookie of the Year. Both players won at least 50 singles matches and were No. 1 and 3, respectively, in the final ITA rankings.

Seeded No. 7 in the NCAA Team Championship, Carolina rolled over VCU and Georgia State in the Chapel Hill Regional to move into the Sweet 16 in Athens, Ga. The Tar Heels topped Texas A&M and upset No. 2 seed Alabama to reach the semifinals for the second time in program history. This time UNC came out on top in the semifinals as Loeb outlasted Stanford’s Kristie Ahn in a three-setter for a place in the national championship against who else, but UCLA. The thrilling final went to the Bruins by a 4-3 margin.

As a player, Anundsen earned All-America honors in 2006 and 2007, and helped lead the Tar Heels to a pair of Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight. A native of Littleton, Colo., Anundsen teamed with Long to capture the 2007 NCAA doubles title after falling in the national semifinals in 2006. The duo finished the 2007 season 29-6 and was named ITA National Doubles Team Of The Year. By virtue of their NCAA title, Anundsen and Long also earned a wild card berth into the 2007 U.S. Open.