CHAPEL HILL-A half hour rain delay couldn’t keep the no. 2 UNC women’s tennis team from heading for the NCAA Sweet 16 after taking down no. 31 Tennessee on Saturday 4-1.

Tennessee took the early lead, claiming a doubles point with a tiebreak. But it was the Heels who came charging back in singles with leads on four out of six courts.

Rain then forced the competition to pause for 31 minutes, but after the delay, UNC continued to pick up momentum. The Heels’ Caroline Price was undefeated following the break, eventually claiming a 6-3, 6-0 win. UNC pushed ahead of the Vols for the first time when Gina Suarez-Malaguti took the win over Tennessee’s Brynn Boren 6-0, 6-2

UNC would ultimately take its final point of the day when Tessa Lyons prevailed over the Vols’ Sarah Toti 6-3, 6-1.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Tar Heels have made it to the NCAA final site.

Next up, Carolina will take on either no. 15 Nebraska or UNLV next Friday evening at 8:00 in Urbana, Ill.