North Carolina
Cal
UNC Rally Comes Up Short Against Cal
February 8, 2016 | Women's Tennis
Seeking its third title in four years, North Carolina (10-1) won the doubles point to gain an early 1-0 advantage. The 16th-ranked duo of Jessie Aney and Kate Vialle raced to a 6-1 win on court two over the 43rd-ranked tandem of Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger.
In the same fashion that produced a win in doubles over Georgia in the semifinals, Ashley Dai and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer secured the opening point on court three with a 6-4 win over Lynn Chi and Maria Smith.
But the momentum did not carry over for the Tar Heels in singles play. Cal took the first set in four of the six matches, with only Hayley Carter winning on court one and Jessie Aney rallying to take the opening set on court four.
Cal tied the match at 1-1 with a win on court two from No. 10 Klara Fabikova, 6-2, 7-5, over #88 Whitney Kay.
Carolina's sixth-ranked Hayley Carter immediately followed with a win over No. 5 Maegan Manasse, 6-2, 6-2, on court one to put Carolina back in the lead at 2-1.
But the Bears answered back with a Karla Popovic 6-1, 6-3, victory over #112 Chloe Ouellet-Pizer on court six, and then grabbed the lead at 3-2 when Lynn Chi took down Kate Vialle, 6-3, 7-5, on court three.
The drama thickened from that point on with Carolina needing to win the final two matches for the title. UNC's 68th-ranked freshman Jessie Aney promptly answered the bell with a straight-set, 7-6, 6-4, victory over Denise Starr on court four to make it 3-3.
Meaning the championship came down to court five between Carolina's Marika Akkerman and Cal's 81st-ranked Olivia Hauger. The first set went to Hauger, 7-5, but Akkerman was up to the task with a 6-2 rebound in the second to send the deciding match to a third set.
Hauger took the opening point, but Akkerman rallied back and held a lead for a majority of the set. Up 5-4 and serving for the title, the Tar Heel sophomore was at 30-30 and two points away but Hauger got Cal back on serve and won the final three points to give the Golden Bears their first team indoor title.
The outcome marked the first time UNC lost a match after winning the doubles point since a 4-3 setback at Clemson on April 19, 2014.
Results
#6 Hayley Carter (UNC) def. #5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) 6-2, 6-2
#10 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. #88 Whitney Kay (UNC) 6-2, 7-5
Lynn Chi (Cal) def. Kate Vialle (UNC) 6-3, 7-5
#68 Jessie Aney (UNC) def. Denise Starr (Cal) 7-6 (1), 6-4
#81 Olivia Hauger (Cal) def. Marika Akkerman (UNC) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
Karla Popovic (Cal) def. (Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 6, 3, 4, 5
Doubles
#2 Hayley Carter/Whitney Kay (UNC) vs. #3 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal) 5-4, unfinished
#16 Jessie Aney (UNC) def. #43 Klara Fabikova/Olivia Hauger (Cal) 6-1
Ashley Dai/Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) def. Lynn Chi/Maria Smith (Cal) 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Players Mentioned
