UNC women's tennis team struggles at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships

North Carolina first-year Alle Sanford’s win streak at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif., ended Friday in the quarterfinals. Sanford was one of four Tar Heels that competed in the tournament. 

What happened?

Fifth-seeded Sanford, Alexa Graham, Sara Daavettila and Jessie Aney were the North Carolina representatives in the tournament. Daavettila and Aney were defeated in the first round by opponents from Vanderbilt and Washington, respectively.

Graham won her first-round matchup against Georgia’s Elena Christofi before falling to Kate Fahey of Michigan in the next round.

Daavettila then won a match in the consolation bracket before losing to Natalie Novotna of Virginia Tech in the second round. Aney lost in the first round of the consolation tournament to Anna Bright of California.

Meanwhile, in doubles competition, both Tar Heel pairs fell in the first round of competition. The No. 12 seeded doubles team of Aney and Graham lost to Chong and Yu of Wesleyan University, and the unseeded duo of Daavettila and Sanford fell to Stanford’s pair of Arbuthnott and Gordon.

Daavettila and Sanford then lost in the first round of the consolation bracket to Dvorak and Federici of Texas Tech. Aney and Graham didn’t play in the consolation tournament.

Who stood out?

Sanford was the lone bright spot in a tough outing for the North Carolina women's tennis team. The first-year showed tremendous poise and grit while advancing to the quarterfinals of a stacked tournament.

Sanford defeated Petra Granic of Texas 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. She then dominated California’s Olivia Hauger in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the Round of 16, and then beat ninth-seeded Estela Perez-Somarriba of Miami, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

Sanford’s impressive run ended in the quarterfinals at the hands of Florida International’s Andrea Lazaro, 6-2, 6-4.

When was it decided?

The Tar Heels’ hopes of advancing multiple players to the second round were ousted early. Besides Sanford’s three singles wins, the only other main draw victories for North Carolina came from Alexa Graham’s opening singles round win.

North Carolina’s chances in the doubles competition were decided even sooner, as no Tar Heel pair picked up a victory in the main draw or consolation bracket.

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels were hoping to build off a successful week that included a singles sweep of Maryland in the Kitty Harrison Invitational.

Instead, apart from Sanford, the Tar Heels looked flat at the Fall Championships. Neither doubles team could muster a win, and only Sanford seemed unfazed by the big stage and tough competition in singles.

When do they play next?

The fall season is done for the Tar Heels. North Carolina will take the court again in competition in the spring.

@jleland_

sports@dailytarheel.com