The Tar Heels will begin the 2021 season as the No. 1 women’s tennis team in the country, according to the Preseason Oracle ITA Division I rankings released on Thursday.

After ending last season prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNC brings back its entire roster thanks to an NCAA rule granting all players in spring sports an extra year of eligibility.

A total of five All-Americans will take the court for head coach Brian Kalbas’s team, which also welcomes three top freshmen.

Filling out the top five behind UNC are: No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Pepperdine.

ACC rivals Duke (No. 6), NC State (No. 8), Florida State (No. 9) and Virginia (No. 10) are also among the top 10, while the conference is also represented by No. 12 Georgia Tech and No. 16 Wake Forest.

The Tar Heels will make their first appearance on the court since March this weekend when it hosts the UNC Invitational, and will have their first dual match on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at home against UNC-Wilmington.

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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