Although she’s received many different accolades in her illustrious career, UNC women’s tennis star Hayley Carter has yet to win a national championship.

That may be changing soon.

The No. 1 ranked player in the nation, Carter reached the doorstep of her first title on Sunday–defeating No. 8 Sinead Lohan of the Miami Hurricanes 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 in their NCAA Tournament Semifinal match at the Michael Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Carter–a three-time All-American who entered the tournament 44-4 for the Tar Heels in 2016–staged a tremendous rally after finding herself on the brink of elimination midway through the match.

After taking the first set with ease, Lohan took a 5-4 lead in the second–needing to win just one more game to advance.

It was an unusual spot for Carter, the 5-foot-11 junior, as she had yet to even be threatened–let alone play in a three-set match–during her tournament run.

Showing nerves of steel, though, she fought back to win the second set–before cruising to a third set victory that clinched her spot in the next round.

Now, she finds herself just one win away from the biggest moment of her career.

Up Next:

The championship match will pit Carter against No. 2 Danielle Collins of Virginia–a former national champion.

They have played each other three times already this season, with Carter holding a 1-0 record. The other two matches were suspended due to the team match finishing first.

Match Notes:

  • It was just Carter’s second three-set win of the year.
  • A two-time All-American as a sophomore, Lohan falls in the semifinals this year after bowing out in the quarterfinals as a freshman.

 

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