With a dominating performance in singles, the North Carolina women’s tennis team (17-0) defeated the Louisville Cardinals (7-5) 6-1 on Friday at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
What happened?
The No. 37 duo of first-year Reese Brantmeier and senior Elizabeth Scotty got off to a hot start against the Cardinals, grabbing the first three game points. The UNC doubles team briefly struggled to close-out the match, but picked up the remaining points to end with a score of 6-3.
Struggling against Louisville’s fast pace and hard hits, No. 4 sophomore Carson Tanguilig and junior Fiona Crawley faced a slower start. Once the UNC team found their rhythm, Tanguilig and Crawley came back from the early deficit to clinch the doubles point for North Carolina, winning 6-3.
Sophomore Lindsay Davis was the only Tar Heel to fall in the singles matches. Crawley, Brantmeier, graduate student Abbey Forbes and Scotty won in straight sets. Tanguilig fought back against her opponent to win in a set tie break, earning the last singles victory for UNC.
Who stood out?
The senior member of North Carolina’s No. 1 doubles team, Scotty was explosive for the doubles match-up. She dominated at the net, picking up quick points for the Tar Heels and giving the team an early lead. While serving, Scotty continued to place the ball well and set up her partner, Brantmeier, for game-winning volleys.
Her dominance continued into singles, making her the first Tar Heel to win a singles point. Scotty swept Louisville senior Maria Campos 6-0 in the first set, followed by a 6-1 win in the second set. Scotty is 12-0 in singles this season after Friday’s match.
After losing in the first set 3-6 in her singles match, Tanguilig turned it around, winning 6-2 in the second set to force a set tie break.
