No. 2 UNC women’s tennis shuts out Pittsburgh to remain perfect in conference play

The No. 2 North Carolina women's tennis team improved to 22-1 and 10-0 in conference play after sweeping the Pittsburgh Panthers, 7-0, on their home court.

What happened?

It was business as usual for the Tar Heels, who easily put away the Panthers en route to their thirteenth-straight victory.

UNC jumped out to a 1-0 lead after yet another dominant performance in doubles. 

Upperclassmen Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham cruised to a 6-0 victory against Claudia Bartolome and Gabriela Rezende to put UNC on the board early. The duo remains perfect with a 14-0 record on the season.

The combination of Sara Daavettila and Cameron Morra secured the doubles point with a 6-1 win over Natsumi Okamoto and Clara Lucas.

Pittsburgh never made it competitive as the Tar Heels went 6-0 in singles, including four straight-set victories. In the only ranked matchup of the event, No. 3 Graham beat No. 111 Bartolome 6-2, 6-2.

The Panthers will go back to the drawing board after dropping to 4-13 on the season and 0-10 in ACC play.

Who stood out?

The entire team.

In as dominant of a showing as you will see this tennis season, UNC won a combined 14 sets in doubles and singles while only dropping two.

Graham, one of the team’s brightest stars, continued her stellar play against the Panthers. Yet another singles victory improved her record to a 28-3 on the season and 8-0 in conference play. 

What is most impressive is that 18 of those wins are against ITA nationally ranked opponents. That combined with her unblemished record in doubles has her on pace for one of the best seasons in recent history for the Tar Heels.

When was it decided?

Though UNC dominated from the first serve, the match technically was not secured until senior Chloe Ouellet-Pizer won her singles match.

Ouellet-Pizer defeated Okamoto, 6-1, 6-4, in singles to notch the fourth point for UNC and secure the match as a whole.

Why does it matter?

Facing the last-place team in ACC standings, the Tar Heels could not afford an upset while in a close race with Duke for the top spot in the ACC.

As the second-ranked team in the nation, UNC will more than likely have to win out and get a little help from top-ranked Georgia if they are to make it to the top of the polls.

With conference play winding down, matches like this one against Pittsburgh serve as tune-ups before the ACC Championship kicks off on April 17.

Who do they play next?

UNC returns to Chapel Hill for a matchup against Florida State on April 5. The action kicks off at 1:45 p.m.

@KenjonVander

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com