North Carolina
Northwestern
On to Tulsa For #3 Women's Tennis
May 14, 2016 | Women's Tennis
Senior Ashley Dai wound up being the hero by winning on court six in three sets to send her Carolina club to the NCAA Finals for the seventh year in a row with a 4-2 victory over the 30th-ranked Wildcats.
The winning point courtesy of @smASHinDAIhouse pic.twitter.com/qvlEYFyhml
— UNC Women's Tennis (@UNC_wtennis) May 14, 2016
North Carolina (31-2) once again steamrolled through doubles to grab the 1-0 advantage. Senior Kate Vialle and freshman Jessie Aney won 6-0 on court two, and second-ranked Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay secured the point with a 6-4 win on court one.
The plot thickened soon there after when the Tar Heels trailed early in singles in five of the six courts, but was slowly able to regain its footing as the afternoon progressed into the early evening in Chapel Hill.
Northwestern (14-11) squared the match at 1-1 when Alex Chatt earned a 6-2, 6-0, victory over Kate Vialle on court four.
Freshman Chloe Ouellet-Pizer played the steadiest tennis of the day for Carolina to earn a 6-2, 6-2, victory over Jillian Rooney, sending the Tar Heels back in front, 2-1, over the Wildcats.
No. 1 Hayley Carter was down 5-2 in the first set, but rallied with the final five points to net a 7-5 victory. She continued with the next three points in the second set, and prevailed 6-4 to push UNC up 3-1.
The first of the three matches that went to three sets finished in favor of Northwestern. No. 52 Maddie Lipp outlasted No. 41 Whitney Kay by scores of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, to make it 3-2 Tar Heels.
Court three between Carolina's 57th ranked freshman Jessie Aney and Alicia Barnett appeared destined to go down to the wire in a three-set battle that ultimately went unsettled thanks to Dai.
The senior from Temple City, California, won a come-from-behind tiebreaker in set one, lost the second set 6-3, and then hit another gear in the third set with a 6-0 victory to set off a jubilant celebration in the far corner of the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
The victory gives UNC a school-record 31 dual match wins in 2016, extends the current winning streak to 20 matches and was also the 41st-straight home victory for the Tar Heels who went a perfect 16-0 this season.
Carolina will face 14th-seeded Virginia in the Round of 16 on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Case Tennis Center, hosted by the University of Tulsa. The Tar Heels have defeated their ACC rivals twice this season, including three weeks ago in the semifinals of the ACC Championship.
Singles Results
1. #1 Hayley Carter (NC) def. #95 Erin Larner (NU) 7-5, 6-4
2. #52 Maddie Lipp (NU) def. #41 Whitney Kay (NC) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
3. #57 Jessie Aney (NC) vs. Alicia Barnett (NU) 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
4. Alex Chatt (NU) def. Kate Vialle (NC) 6-2, 6-0
5. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (NC) def. Jillian Rooney (NU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Ashley Dai (NC) def. Brooke Rischbieth (NU) 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-0
Doubles Results
1. #2 Hayley Carter/Whitney Kay (NC) def. #28 Maddie Lipp/Alex Chatt (NU) 6-3
2. Jessie Aney/Kate Vialle (NC) def. Alicia Barnett/Brooke Rischbieth (NU) 6-0
3. Ashley Dai/Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (NC) vs. Jillian Rooney/Erin Larner (NU) 5-4, unfinished
Players Mentioned
