Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will compete in the NCAA Tournament this year, as both earned bids during the selection show Monday. The women are the No. 5 overall seed in their field, while the men are an unseeded team.

On the women’s side, the Tar Heels enter the tournament with a 24-3 overall record and 11-1 mark in ACC play. As one of 16 national seeds, the Tar Heels will host first- and second-round matches at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill — where UNC is 15-0 this season. Joining Carolina in Chapel Hill will be Charleston Southern, Maryland and South Carolina. UNC will face Charleston Southern in the opening round, with the winner facing either the Terrapins or the Gamecocks the next day.

Carolina is seeking its second NCAA team title in program history after winning for the first time in 2023. The Tar Heels feature two-time ACC Player of the Year Reese Brantmeier, who was a freshman on the 2023 title-winning team. This year’s bid is the 27th in a row for the program, which has now hosted opening round matches in 16 consecutive seasons.

Elsewhere in the bracket, No. 7 Virginia, No. 8 NC State and No. 15 Duke also represent the ACC among the national seeds. A full schedule, including dates and start times, has yet to be announced.

The men’s program is in the postseason field for the 29th time in the last 31 NCAA Tournaments. As an unseeded team, the Tar Heels will travel to Columbia, S.C. to face Michigan State in the first round of action Friday. The winner will face either No. 13 national seed South Carolina or Richmond the next day.

“I’m so proud of this group for their resiliency and the way they stuck together,” said UNC head coach Sam Paul. “We lost two starters in singles and doubles by early February, but we kept fighting and persevered through some tough adversity. Now we’re healthy and excited to play in this NCAA Tournament.”

UNC enters the tournament with a 15-11 overall record and 6-7 mark in ACC play. Fellow ACC teams in the field include No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest and No. 4 Virginia, which could potentially face the Tar Heels in the round of 16 should UNC win twice. For a full look at the men’s bracket, click here.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Dalton Wainscott


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