UNC fifth-year seniors William Blumberg and Sara Daavettila were each selected Wednesday to be part of the 2021 USTA Collegiate Summer Team.

This is a training program designed to help the nation’s top college tennis players get ready for the professional game in a team-oriented environment via the USTA Pro Circuit.

They were each one of five men and women selected to participate. Players were selected based on their ATP or WTA singles ranking or a combination of their pro and ITA singles rankings and their Universal Tennis Rating.

Blumberg recently became the first 10-time All-American in ITA history after advancing to the quarterfinals of both the NCAA Men’s Singles and Doubles Tournaments. He is the only Tar Heel to reach four straight NCAA quarterfinals and was able to become a 10-time All-American because of the extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Blumberg leading the way, the Tar Heel men won the ITA National Indoor Tournament back in February and briefly were ranked as the No. 1 team in America. UNC would go on to reach the finals of the ACC Tournament and the Round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament — finishing with an overall record of 21-4.

On the women’s side, Daavettila earned the Honda Sport Award as the nation’s top player and became just the fifth Tar Heel to ever reach the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Emma Navarro of Virginia.

The 2021 ACC Player of the Year — and the top seed at the NCAA Singles Tournament — ended her career with seven ITA All-American honors, tied for the most in program history.

She and the Tar Heels won the ITA National Indoor Tournament and the ACC Tournament, bringing the nation’s No. 1 ranking and a perfect 30-0 record into the NCAA Tournament semifinals — where they were upset by Pepperdine.

The UNC women also went 18-0 in the shortened 2020 campaign, which allowed them to set a new school record with a 48-match winning streak prior to the semifinal loss.

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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