Spring sports: Tennis wins it all, lacrosse falls short, baseball swings for Omaha

This spring, UNC Athletics has found success across women’s tennis, women’s lacrosse and baseball. Here’s how each team has fared.

Women’s tennis 

The No. 1 UNC women’s tennis team dominated all season. The Tar Heels remained at No. 1 for the entirety of the spring season, with their lone loss coming at the hands of in-state rival N.C. State. The loss to the Wolfpack came in the ACC Championship game, in which N.C. State bested the Tar Heels 4-1.

However, during the regular season, UNC handled their schedule with ease. Their closest match being a 4-3 win over Virginia Tech back in late February.

After their strong showing in the regular season — and despite their loss in the ACC title game — North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. En route to a national championship, the Tar Heels downed Florida, Texas and Georgia before facing N.C. State in a rematch of the ACC Championship.

On May 20, UNC claimed its first national title in women’s tennis after a 4-1 win over the Wolfpack. The win puts North Carolina at a total of 60 national championships across all sports.

After finally capturing an elusive national title, North Carolina has made a name for its women’s tennis program. Heading into next spring, the Tar Heels will likely have key players returning to help defend their national championship.

Women’s lacrosse 

Coming into the season as the defending national champions and the No. 1 team in the nation, the Tar Heels had hopes of defending their title. With a strong showing during regular season play — losing just three games — the Tar Heels looked poised to make a run in both the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament. 

After beating Clemson and Syracuse in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, of the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels fell to Boston College in the championship game, 11-9. 

Following the disappointing loss in the ACC championship game, UNC earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After downing Sacred Heart and Richmond in the first two rounds at Dorrance Field, the Tar Heels were matched up with No. 5 Denver in the quarterfinals.  

In a defensive battle, North Carolina fell at Dorrance 5-4 to Denver, ending their hopes of defending their title. The result came down to the last half of the game, where the Tar Heels did not score a single goal.

Baseball 

The UNC baseball team has a winning record thus far. The Tar Heels closed out their regular season with a series against Clemson, in which they were swept down in South Carolina. The Tar Heels are competing in the ACC tournament May 23-28 in Durham and are in a pool with Virginia and Georgia Tech.

Despite entering the season as the No. 11 team in the country, the Tar Heels have struggled against top ranked teams, and fell out of the rankings. Bullpen struggles, inconsistent starting pitching and runners left on base have been key themes during the season.

After a fourth place Coastal division finish with 14-14 ACC record, the Diamond Heels are looking to repeat the run they had in the ACC Tournament last year in hopes of potentially hosting a regional at Boshamer Stadium. Currently, UNC is projected as a No. 2 seed in the Conway, S.C., regional hosted by Coastal Carolina. 

To repeat this run, UNC will have to have consistent play from its pitchers, as well as find the offensive power many expected them to have heading into this season.

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com