Tuesday, February 12
Seattle, Wash.
1:00 PM
North Carolina
3
vs
4
Georgia
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
UNC Denied By Georgia In ITA Title Match, 4-3
February 12, 2019 | Women's Tennis
SEATTLE - Georgia would not be denied this week in snowy Seattle. The Bulldogs rallied for a 4-3 victory over defending champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina in the finals of the 2019 ITA National Women's Tennis Team Indoor Championship on Tuesday afternoon from Nordstrom Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Washington.
North Carolina (9-1) was in search of its first back-to-back titles in program history. The Tar Heels reached the championship match for the fifth-successive season having already won three previous titles in 2013, '15 and '18.
UNC trailed 3-2 and appeared that Georgia was in complete control of the match, but the Heels showed great resiliency in pushing the bout all the way to the brink.
Sara Daavettila fought back from down 1-5 in the third set, a match point serving 3-5 and went on to post a dramatic 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over No. 10 Marta Gonzalez.
The national crown would be decided on court one between UNC's No. 6 Makenna Jones and second ranked Katarina Jokic. Jones led 5-2 in the third set and looked poised to clinch, but Jokic took a medical timeout and rebounded to push the set into a deciding tiebreaker that ultimately went in favor of Jokic by a final score line of 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2).
The Bulldogs won court three doubles, but Carolina dominated courts one and two to grab a 1-0 edge. Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham remained unbeaten on the weekend with a 6-1 route of Lourdes Carle and Vivian Wolff. Moments later, No. 5 Jones and Cameron Morra posted a 6-2 win on court two.
Georgia lost the doubles point each of the last three days, but rallied each time in winning over the top-3 ranked teams in the country - Vanderbilt, Stanford and UNC - in consecutive days. On Tuesday, Elena Christofi topped UNC's Alle Sanford, 6-2, 6-2, on court five to even the score at 1-1. That score held up for nearly an hour as the other five singles matches continued.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead when No. 84 Meg Kowalski defeated Aney, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Aney had been unbeaten on the weekend, including clinching victories over Oklahoma State and Duke.
No. 7 Graham finished a perfect 4-0 in singles in Seattle with a triumphant win over No. 102 Carle, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. That knotted the match at 2-2 for the moment, but Georgia pulled back ahead with a court four win by No. 58 Wolff over UNC's No. 21 Morra, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Carolina and Georgia are no strangers to each other having faced off in this tournament three straight years from 2014-'16. Most recently, the Tar Heels dispatched of the Bulldogs in the 2016 semifinals in Madison, Wisconsin. The year prior, UNC was again victorious over Georgia, 4-1, however, this time it was in the 2015 title match in Charlottesville, Va. The 2014 match was won by Carolina in the consolation bracket.
Georgia (7-0) garnered its fourth national indoor title and first since 2002.
With the setback, UNC is still an impressive 23-4 at ITA Indoors since the 2013 season.
The Tar Heels return to the court on Tuesday, Feb. 19 hosting UNCG and Appalachian State at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship
Finals - Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Georgia
Singles
#2 Katarina Jokic (UGA) def. #6 Makenna Jones (UNC) 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2)
#15 Sara Daavettila (UNC) def. #10 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3)
#7 Alexa Graham (UNC) def. #102 Lourdes Carle (UGA) 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
#58 Vivian Wolff (UGA) def. #20 Cameron Morra (UNC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Elena Christofi (UGA) def. #104 Alle Sanford (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
#84 Meg Kowalski (UGA) def. Jessie Aney (UNC) 6-2, 7-6 (3)
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 3, 4, 2, 1
Doubles
Aney/Graham (UNC) def. Carle/Wolff (UGA) 6-1
#5 Jones/Morra (UNC) def. Christofi/Coppoc (UGA) 6-2
Goulak/Gonzalez (UGA) def. Daavettila/Sanford (UNC) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
North Carolina (9-1) was in search of its first back-to-back titles in program history. The Tar Heels reached the championship match for the fifth-successive season having already won three previous titles in 2013, '15 and '18.
UNC trailed 3-2 and appeared that Georgia was in complete control of the match, but the Heels showed great resiliency in pushing the bout all the way to the brink.
Sara Daavettila fought back from down 1-5 in the third set, a match point serving 3-5 and went on to post a dramatic 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over No. 10 Marta Gonzalez.
The national crown would be decided on court one between UNC's No. 6 Makenna Jones and second ranked Katarina Jokic. Jones led 5-2 in the third set and looked poised to clinch, but Jokic took a medical timeout and rebounded to push the set into a deciding tiebreaker that ultimately went in favor of Jokic by a final score line of 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2).
The Bulldogs won court three doubles, but Carolina dominated courts one and two to grab a 1-0 edge. Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham remained unbeaten on the weekend with a 6-1 route of Lourdes Carle and Vivian Wolff. Moments later, No. 5 Jones and Cameron Morra posted a 6-2 win on court two.
Georgia lost the doubles point each of the last three days, but rallied each time in winning over the top-3 ranked teams in the country - Vanderbilt, Stanford and UNC - in consecutive days. On Tuesday, Elena Christofi topped UNC's Alle Sanford, 6-2, 6-2, on court five to even the score at 1-1. That score held up for nearly an hour as the other five singles matches continued.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead when No. 84 Meg Kowalski defeated Aney, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Aney had been unbeaten on the weekend, including clinching victories over Oklahoma State and Duke.
No. 7 Graham finished a perfect 4-0 in singles in Seattle with a triumphant win over No. 102 Carle, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. That knotted the match at 2-2 for the moment, but Georgia pulled back ahead with a court four win by No. 58 Wolff over UNC's No. 21 Morra, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Carolina and Georgia are no strangers to each other having faced off in this tournament three straight years from 2014-'16. Most recently, the Tar Heels dispatched of the Bulldogs in the 2016 semifinals in Madison, Wisconsin. The year prior, UNC was again victorious over Georgia, 4-1, however, this time it was in the 2015 title match in Charlottesville, Va. The 2014 match was won by Carolina in the consolation bracket.
Georgia (7-0) garnered its fourth national indoor title and first since 2002.
With the setback, UNC is still an impressive 23-4 at ITA Indoors since the 2013 season.
The Tar Heels return to the court on Tuesday, Feb. 19 hosting UNCG and Appalachian State at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship
Finals - Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Georgia
Singles
#2 Katarina Jokic (UGA) def. #6 Makenna Jones (UNC) 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2)
#15 Sara Daavettila (UNC) def. #10 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3)
#7 Alexa Graham (UNC) def. #102 Lourdes Carle (UGA) 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
#58 Vivian Wolff (UGA) def. #20 Cameron Morra (UNC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Elena Christofi (UGA) def. #104 Alle Sanford (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
#84 Meg Kowalski (UGA) def. Jessie Aney (UNC) 6-2, 7-6 (3)
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 3, 4, 2, 1
Doubles
Aney/Graham (UNC) def. Carle/Wolff (UGA) 6-1
#5 Jones/Morra (UNC) def. Christofi/Coppoc (UGA) 6-2
Goulak/Gonzalez (UGA) def. Daavettila/Sanford (UNC) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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