North Carolina
Clemson
No. 3 Tar Heels Hold On Against No. 11 Clemson, 4-3
April 10, 2011 | Women's Tennis
April 10, 2011
CHAPEL HILL --- No. 3 North Carolina held off a furious rally from No. 11 Clemson to win its home finale, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. Sophomore Zoe De Bruycker beat Clemson's Josipa Bek in a thrilling three-setter, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (6), to clinch the victory for the Tar Heels, who will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday for their final regular season match against Florida State.
Carolina (20-4, 9-1 ACC) took the doubles point for the second straight day with wins on courts two and three. Jelena Durisic and Shinann Featherston impressed once again at No. 2, running out to a 6-1 lead over Klara Vyskocilova and Masha Belaya before holding on to win, 8-4. Haley Hemm and Tessa Lyons then clinched the point with an 8-5 victory over Nelly Ciolkowski and Laurianne Henry at No. 3.
Clemson (17-8, 5-4 ACC) got the final doubles victory on court one, as the nation's top-ranked tandem, Bek and Keri Wong, held off De Bruycker and Lauren McHale, 8-5.
As it often does, the doubles point would prove to be crucial, as singles play was tight throughout.
The visiting Tigers briefly took a 2-1 lead after straight-set wins by No. 100 Vyskocilova on court three and No. 51 Wong on court two, but Carolina would fight back to regain the advantage.
Lyons continued her stellar run of play with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Masha Belaya on court six. The Wallingford, Pa., freshman has now won nine straight, including an incredible five in a row in three sets.
Carolina then took a 3-2 lead, as No. 125 McHale outlasted Caroline Magnusson, 6-4, 6-4, on court five in a match that featured a number of lengthy games.
With two matches remaining, the Tar Heels needed to get one of the three-setters taking place on courts one and four. They would not get it at No. 4, as Ciolkowski rallied past Suarez-Malaguti, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, pulling Clemson even with only the top position remaining.
In a rematch of the ITA Carolina Indoor Regional final played in Chapel Hill last fall, No. 15 De Bruycker and No. 10 Bek traded blows throughout the afternoon. De Bruycker looked poised to repeat her straight-set win from November early on, as the Saratoga, Calif., standout took the first set in impressive fashion, 6-1.
But the Clemson veteran refused to back down, racing out to a 5-2 lead before holding on to the second set, 7-5.
The third set saw neither player able to consistently hold serve, but Bek got a key hold to make it 5-3 and put the pressure on the Tar Heel sophomore. But De Bruycker held, and then broke Bek's serve to tie the set at 5. After Bek broke back to push ahead 6-5, De Bruycker stepped up and broke the Clemson junior at love to force a match-deciding tiebreak.
The two players traded the lead throughout the tiebreak, but De Bruycker would get the first opportunity to serve for the match at 6-5. With Bek cramping during an extended rally, the two traded ground strokes until De Bruycker broke a string and ultimately put the ball into the net to make it 6-all. At the changeover, Bek requested a medical timeout to receive treatment.
The delay did not shake De Bruycker, however, and after Bek sent a ball long, the Tar Heel No. 1 had a second match point at 7-6. Unfittingly for the quality of the play by both players to that point, Bek double-faulted on match point to give De Bruycker and the Tar Heels a nerve-wracking 4-3 win.
Carolina will close out regular season action Friday, April 15, as the Tar Heels travel to the Sunshine State to face No. 31 Florida State at 4 p.m.
No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 11 Clemson 3
Doubles
1. #1 Wong/Bek (CU) def. McHale/De Bruycker (UNC), 8-5
2. Featherston/Durisic (UNC) def. Vyskocilova/Belaya (CU), 8-4
3. Hemm/Lyons (UNC) def. Ciolkowski/Henry (CU), 8-5
Order of finish: 2, 3*, 1
Singles
1. #15 Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. #10 Josipa Bek (CU), 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (6)
2. #51 Keri Wong (CU) def. Jelena Durisic (UNC), 6-4, 6-4
3. #100 Klara Vyskocilova (CU) def. #81 Shinann Featherston (UNC), 6-4, 6-3
4. Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0
5. #125 Lauren McHale (UNC) def. Caroline Magnusson (CU), 6-4, 6-4
6. Tessa Lyons (UNC) def. Masha Belaya (CU), 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 2, 6, 5, 4, 1*
Players Mentioned
