A season's end for four UNC sports teams

Four North Carolina teams suffered losses in tournament play last weekend that brought their seasons to an end. With games over for the year, The Daily Tar Heel looked back at the seasons that have now ended.

Women’s tennis season tops program history

The North Carolina women’s tennis team had one of its best seasons in program history.

Early in the year, the team captured the program’s first national championship at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships.

That win catapulted the Tar Heels into a No. 1 ranking that the team would hold for much of the season. They finished the regular season with only two losses, to Florida and Virginia.

The ACC named senior Gina Suarez-Malaguti Player of the Year and Brian Kalbas Coach of the Year.

In the postseason, UNC fell to Miami in the ACC Championships semifinal, but headed into the NCAA tournament ranked No. 2 overall. The ranking tied the 2010 team for highest seed in program history.

But despite a strong regular season showing, the team lost to No. 7 UCLA in the quarterfinals Sunday.

Men’s lacrosse ends win streak in quarterfinals

Coming into the 2013 season, it was clear the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team would be able to put points on the board.

But the Tar Heels had a 3-3 record after losing two one-goal games and lost both times they failed to score 10 points.

But from that point on, the Tar Heels refused to lose. Winning nine straight games going into the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels took out a top-ranked Maryland and won an ACC championship.
The team started its title run on a tear, too. In the first round of postseason play, UNC dominated Lehigh with a 16-7 win.

In the quarterfinals, a quick 6-0 start for the Tar Heels made it look like UNC would cruise to its first Final Four in 20 years — but a second-half surge by the Denver Pioneers was too much for the Tar Heels, who ended their season with a 12-11 loss.

UNC softball ends rocky season at regionals

The North Carolina softball team started its season ranked No. 22 in the nation, and it showed promise early on with a win against a No. 10-ranked Louisiana State.

But as the season moved forward, the Tar Heels fell from their ranking after three losses at the Aggie Classic.

As the season progressed, a nine-game win streak put UNC back in the rankings at No. 24, but a series loss to N.C. State helped push it out of the ranks yet again.

Entering the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels’ playoff fate was up in the air, and they knew a strong performance could solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Though UNC would lose to Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinal, a first-round win against Georgia Tech was enough to earn the team a trip to the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore.

There, two straight losses to Wisconsin and Oregon knocked them out of the tournament.

Strong start not enough for men’s golf in Tempe

The North Carolina men’s golf team’s semester started in Rio Grande, where it played in the Puerto Rico classics.

And though the No. 36 Tar Heels ended their first day in a respectable seventh place out of 15, the Tar Heels finished the classic in 12th place.

UNC proved it could win going into the ACC Championships, after it placed first in a field that included N.C. State at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate.

But the momentum-building win at the intercollegiate wasn’t enough for the Tar Heels come ACC Championship time. There, the team placed seventh out of 11 and shot five over par.

Despite their performance in the ACC Championships, the Tar Heels started their NCAA regional run tied for fourth place after one day. All they needed was to place fifth to move on.

But a third-round, 11-over-par performance ended the Tar Heels’ season, and they finished ninth in their regional in Tempe, Ariz.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.