University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
No. 4 Tar Heels Fall In Regular Season Finale
April 16, 2011 | Women's Tennis
April 16, 2011
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- No. 4 North Carolina fell to No. 27 Florida State in the Tar Heels' regular season finale Friday, 4-2, at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center. Carolina dropped the doubles point in a tiebreak at No. 3 and was unable to rally against the homestanding Seminoles. Zoe De Bruycker and Lauren McHale were singles winners for UNC, which will now prepare for the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament next weekend in Cary, N.C.
Florida State (11-7, 6-4 ACC) started strong in doubles, getting an 8-2 win from Francesca Segarelli and Ruth Seaborne on court two.
Carolina (20-5, 9-2 ACC) pulled even at the top position, as Jelena Durisic and Shinann Featherston pulled away from Noemie Scharle and Federica Suess, 8-5.
The final match would need a tiebreak to decide the point, as Haley Hemm and Tessa Lyons fought Amy Sargeant and Katie Rybakova evenly for the first 16 games. The UNC tandem jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak, but Sargeant and Rybakova battled back for a 10-8 win, giving the Seminoles the key first point.
FSU quickly made it 2-0, as Segarelli downed No. 100 Durisic in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, on court two. Sargeant followed suit at No. 6, dispatching Lyons, 6-1, 6-3, to push the 'Noles within one win of taking the dual.
No. 14 De Bruycker got Carolina on the board at the top of the lineup, continuing her strong run-in with a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 34 Rybakova. The victory was De Bruycker's fourth in a row to close the regular season, all against top-50 opponents.
McHale pulled the Tar Heels within one by defeating Suess on court five, 6-4, 6-3, but the hosts would not be denied the upset win.
Scharle took a tight opening set on court three from No. 88 Featherston in a tiebreak before holding off the Carolina junior, 7-6 (5), 6-3, to give Florida State the victory.
In the day's final match, Seaborne and UNC's Gina Suarez-Malaguti split sets on court four before seeing the contest halted with the outcome of the dual no longer in question.
With a 9-2 record in league play, Carolina can expect a first-round bye in next weekend's ACC Championship at the Cary Tennis Park. The Tar Heels will be seeking their first tournament title since 2002 and looking to improve upon last season's runner-up finish. Official seeding for the event will be announced in the coming days.
No. 27 Florida State 4, No. 4 North Carolina 2
Doubles
1. Featherston/Durisic (UNC) def. Scharle/Suess (FSU) 8-5
2. Segarelli/Seaborne (FSU) def. #47 De Bruycker/McHale (UNC) 8-2
3. Sargeant/Rybakova (FSU) def. Hemm/Lyons (UNC) 9-8 (8)
Order to finish: 2, 1, 3*
Singles
1. #14 Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. #34 Katie Rybakova (FSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Francesca Segarelli (FSU) def. #100 Jelena Durisic (UNC) 6-0, 6-1
3. Noemie Scharle (FSU) def. #88 Shinann Featherston (UNC) 7-6 (5), 6-3
4. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) vs. Ruth Seaborne (FSU) 3-6, 7-6 (5), DNF
5. Lauren McHale (UNC) def. Federica Suess (FSU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Amy Sargeant (FSU) def. Tessa Lyons (UNC) 6-1, 6-3
Order to finish: 2, 6, 1, 5, 3*
Players Mentioned
