Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams were in action in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday. The women won their opening-round match against Charleston Southern, while men fell to Michigan State and saw their season come to an end.
The women, playing as the No. 5 overall seed in the field, hosted opening round action at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels got to work quickly, taking 6-1 and 6-0 victories on two of the three doubles courts to go ahead 1-0 in the first-to-four match.
In singles, Anna Frey gave UNC its second point with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win on No. 5 court. Thea Rabman followed that up with a win of her on own on No. 6, and Maddy Zampardo clinched the team win on No. 3 with a 6-0, 6-3 victory.
Up next, the Tar Heels will take on South Carolina in the tournament’s second round Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Chewning Tennis Center. The Gamecocks defeated Maryland 4-0 in the opening round. UNC is looking to advance to the super regionals (round of 16) for the 21st time in program history.
On the men’s side, the Tar Heels entered the field as an unseeded team and faced Michigan State in Columbia, S.C. on the South Carolina campus. After the match was delayed by weather, UNC got off to a good start by winning the doubles point and going up 1-0. But the Spartans dominated in singles, winning straight-sets matches on No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 court before sealing the win with a victory on No. 4.
UNC has not won an NCAA Tournament match since 2023. The Tar Heels lost in the first round in 2024 and missed the tournament entirely in 2025.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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