No. 1 North Carolina women's tennis handles Louisville, 4-0, continues hot ACC start

The No. 1 North Carolina women’s tennis team (16-1, 4-0 ACC) defeated Louisville (10-4, 2-2 ACC), 4-0, in a dominating performance. 

What happened?

The Tar Heels easily earned the doubles point with quick victories by the duos of junior Makenna Jones and sophomore Alle Sanford and senior Jessie Aney and junior Alexa Graham. Jones and Sanford picked up a strong, 6-0 win on Court Two. This was the first time the two have played together in the 2019 duals season, but they looked comfortable throughout the match. Aney and Graham also won, 6-1, on Court One. The matches ended simultaneously, so the two pairs got to celebrate their doubles wins together. 

UNC also breezed through singles play. However, their highest-ranked tennis player faced a tough challenge on Court One. Louisville senior Sena Suswam started out on fire, putting No. 2 Mckenna Jones in a tough spot early. Suswam took a 3-0 lead, playing with lots of intensity and energy. It was clear she was motivated against one of the top college players in the nation. 

However, Jones did not back down. She won a tough point on her opponent’s serve to give her some much needed momentum. It fueled her first-set comeback, which she won, 6-4. Jones held a 3-2 lead in the second set before the match was called off because UNC had already secured the overall victory. 

No. 5 Graham was the first to finish, winning 6-3, 6-0 on Court Two. She had an incredible shot to the back right corner of the court to set herself up for a match point. Graham took advantage of her first match-point opportunity and won her match, 6-3, 6-0.

The next two players did not take much longer to grab their victories. First-year Sophia Patel put the Tar Heels up 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-2 win on Court Six. No. 122 Sanford was able to clinch the overall victory for UNC by defeating her opponent, 6-1, 6-2, on Court 4. 

Who stood out?

Despite not playing together at all this season, Jones and Sanford had no problems in their doubles match. They didn't drop a single game. Jones and Sanford also had success in their singles matches, but in very different ways. 

Jones fell behind early by the strong play of her opponent. She had to dig deep and make a big comeback to win the first set. She won five straight games in the set to completely flip the momentum in her favor. While her match went unfinished, Jones showed great determination. 

Sanford had a much easier time in her singles match. She controlled the match in a decisive victory over her opponent, helping UNC achieve a shutout.

When was it decided?

The Tar Heels won every first set in their singles matches. The fact the every player was able to get a strong start was key for the Tar Heels in earning their fourth ACC victory. The three UNC point-earners had masterful second-set performances, helping them quickly coast by Louisville with a big match against Duke ahead of them. 

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels came into the match riding a 3-0 start in conference play. During this run, they had yet to drop a doubles point and have outscored their conference opponents, 15-3. They continued their impressive doubles streak on Sunday with another terrific performance. 

UNC was also looking to get in a groove before a tough test against Duke. According to head coach Brian Kalbas, the team is looking forward to that match.

“We lost to them last year at their place in the regular season, so this is an opportunity for us to play a really high-caliber opponent and see where we are at this point of the season,” he said. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels host Duke on Wednesday, March 6th at 3 p.m.

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