No. 3 UNC women's tennis takes care of No. 2 Vanderbilt with 5-2 victory

After starting the season with five straight victories, the North Carolina women's tennis team added a signature win in a top-five showdown at the Vanderbilt Currey Tennis Center. The Tar Heels upset a talented Commodores team, 5-2, to keep their record an unblemished 6-0.

What happened?

No. 3 UNC (6-0) set the tone early by securing the first point after a dominant showing in doubles. On Court One, the duo of Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham was exceptional as they cruised to a 6-2 win against No. 2 Vanderbilt’s Christina Rosca and Emma Kurtz. The Tar Heels captured the doubles point after the nation’s No. 2 duo of Makenna Jones and Cameron Morra kept it business as usual with a routine 6-2 victory. UNC’s performance in doubles has been a driving force behind its success as the team has yet to surrender a loss in the category this season.

In singles, UNC built on its 1-0 lead after Graham, a junior, swept Rosca in what was a highly anticipated match. Graham, the 18th ranked singles player, owned the court against No. 15 Rosca with wins of 6-3 and 6-0.

Vanderbilt would make the match interesting after capturing a big win. The Commodores’ No. 6 Fernanda Contreras upset the exceptionally talented No. 2 Jones for the Tar Heels in two sets. However, the party for Vanderbilt ended there after No. 21 Morra captured two straight sets, each by the score of 7-5 over Carolyn Campana. 

Sophomore Alle Sanford came up huge with a win over junior Emily Smith that clinched the match for her team.

Both UNC and Vanderbilt captured another singles victory after the match was already clinched for the Tar Heels.

Who stood out?

The trio of Tar Heels to win both their singles and doubles matches helped lead UNC past game point and into the victory column.

Graham and Morra were crucial components of their respective doubles victories and built upon that success with wins in singles as well. The third to accomplish that feat was Aney, but her singles victory came after the match was already called. However, her dominant performance against Summer Dvorak should not be disregarded as she won her two sets by a combined score of 12-3.

When was it decided?

After the Tar Heels stretched their lead to 4-1, Sanford brought it home with a comeback victory that won’t be easily forgotten.

Sanford fell, 6-3, in the opening set before serving Smith a 6-1 defeat in the second. With the match on the line, Sanford took the tie-breaking set in nail-biting fashion by the score of 7-5.

Why does it matter?

UNC looking that poised this early in the season and winning that easily against a team as good as Vanderbilt is important for the team. Its performance can only serve as a confidence and momentum builder before the Tar Heels face a stacked field and one of their biggest tests at the end of this week.

The team will head to Seattle, Washington next week for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. As the defending champions and one of the hottest teams in the country, UNC will look to win it all and potentially earn the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

Vanderbilt will also be in the tournament, and a rematch between the two teams in a semifinal or championship game could be possible. After Saturday’s match, the Tar Heels look primed for their fourth ITA indoor title and a stellar rest of the season.

When do they play next?

The University of Washington serves as host to the three-day event that runs from Feb. 8-11.

@KenjonVander

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