No. 5 overall seed UNC fought off a stern challenge from No. 12 Michigan in the NCAA Tournament’s Super Regional round Friday in Chapel Hill, defeating the Wolverines 4-2 to advance to the national quarterfinals in Georgia next week.

UNC won the doubles point for the third consecutive round in tournament play, but only after the two teams split first two of the three doubles matches played. Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton won 6-2 on No. 1 court, but the duo of Susanna Maltby and Maddy Zampardo dropped their match on No. 2, leaving it up to Tatum Evans and Oby Kajuru on No. 3. Evans and Kajuru did their job, winning 6-4 to put Carolina on the board 1-0.

Singles play saw Kajuru stay hot with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Michigan’s Lily Jones on No. 2 court. The Tar Heels led the match 2-0, but Michigan rallied back with two consecutive wins to even the match, including a rare defeat of Brantmeier on No. 1 in straight sets.

On No. 5 court, freshman Anna Frey rebounded from a second-set loss to defeat the Wolverines’ Jessica Bernales, winning 6-1 in the third set to put UNC on the doorstep of the quarterfinals. Tatum Evans on No. 3 court and Thea Rabman on No. 6 had each dropped their opening sets, but both rallied back with wins in the second set to force a deciding third. With both matches lasting long into the night, it was finally Evans who clinched the victory for the Tar Heels, beating Michigan’s Reese Miller 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 for a 4-2 UNC win. On No. 6, Rabman’s match was likely headed to a tiebreak, with Rabman leading 4-6, 6-4, 6-5 but with Michigan’s Laura Rahnel serving.

UNC will now appear in the NCAA quarterfinals for a second consecutive season after reaching the semifinals in 2025. Up next, the No. 5 Tar Heels will face No. 4 Texas A&M, which defeated No. 13 USC on its way to the quarterfinals. The Aggies also ended UNC’s championship defense in 2024 on their way to the national title. The quarterfinals in Athens, GA on the campus of the University of Georgia are scheduled for Friday, May 15.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Tennis on Twitter

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