North Carolina
Georgia Tech
No. 8 Tar Heels Top No. 13 Georgia Tech, 4-2
February 13, 2012 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 13, 2012
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. --- No. 8 North Carolina closed out its run at the 2012 ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a 4-2 win over Atlantic Coast Conference foe No. 13 Georgia Tech early Monday morning at the Boar's Head Sports Club. With play backed up several hours due to previous matches, the Tar Heels were forced to play deep into the night, not clinching the victory over the Yellow Jackets until after midnight.
“This has been a long tournament for us," head coach Brian Kalbas said. "We had our opportunities against USC and Baylor, but didn't take advantage of them. It is great to finish this tournament on a positive note. Georgia Tech is a great team. We knew every match here was going to be tough. The ACC is a strong conference. We will face great competition all season, and playing here has made us better prepared.”
For the third straight match, Carolina (6-4) grabbed the early lead in doubles. After Georgia Tech (4-4) won on court two, Haley Hemm and Tessa Lyons finished off a perfect weekend at the No. 3 spot, defeating Muriel Wacker and Christina Ngo, 8-6.
And for the third day in a row, the Tar Heels got a win from their No. 1 doubles tandem to grab the point. Shinann Featherston and Lauren McHale completed their own 3-0 weekend with a 9-8 (9) victory over Jillian O'Neill and Alex Anghelescu to give UNC the 1-0 advantage.
McHale's strong play continued right into singles, as the Englewood Cliffs, N.J., junior dropped Elizabeth Kilborn in straight sets on court two, 6-2, 6-3, to put Carolina ahead 2-0. Freshman Caroline Price then made it 3-0 with her own straight-set victory, 7-6, 6-0, over Jasmine Minor on court four.
The Yellow Jackets got on the board next with No. 106 Ngo topping Featherston, 6-4, 6-1, at the No. 3 position. Lynn Blau pulled Georgia Tech within one with her 6-4, 7-6 victory over Gina Suarez-Malaguti on court five.
That left a pair of three-setters on courts one and six, and Carolina got the win it needed from its top player. No. 44 Zoe De Bruycker rallied from a set down to defeat No. 45 Jillian O'Neill, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, to clinch the dual for the Tar Heels and end what had been a very long night in Virginia.
On court six, Lyons was attempting her own comeback and was in a third set with Georgia Tech's Wacker when play was stopped.
The schedule gets no easier from here for the Tar Heels, with road matches against national powers Notre Dame and Florida in the coming weeks. Carolina will travel to South Bend to play the Irish on Saturday, Feb. 18.
No. 8 North Carolina 4, No. 13 Georgia Tech 2
Doubles
1. Featherston/McHale (UNC) def. O'Neill/Anghelescu (GT), 9-8 (9)
2. Blau/Kilborn (GT) def. #43 De Bruycker/Slater (UNC), 8-6
3. Lyons/Hemm (UNC) def. Ngo/Wacker (GT), 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #44 Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. #45 Jillian O'Neill (GT), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
2. #16 Lauren McHale (UNC) def. Elizabeth Kilborn (GT), 6-2, 6-3
3. #106 Christina Ngo (GT) def. Shinann Featherston (UNC), 6-4, 6-1
4. #55 Caroline Price (UNC) def. Jasmine Minor (GT), 7-6, 6-0
5. Lynn Blau (GT) def. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC), 6-4, 7-6
6. Tessa Lyons (UNC) vs. Muriel Wacker (GT), 4-6, 7-5, 2-4, DNF
Players Mentioned
