The No. 1 UNC women’s tennis team clinched a spot in its third straight Final Four and exacted sweet revenge in the process, defeating No. 8 Pepperdine in a thrilling match, 4-3, in the NCAA quarterfinals in Champaign, IL. The Waves had defeated the Tar Heels in the 2021 Final Four.

Carolina, as it has done all tournament, started the match with a flourish by winning the doubles point. The No. 2-ranked pair of Fiona Crawley and Elizabeth Scotty dispatched their opponents with ease, 6-1. Cameron Morra and Reilly Tran also emerged victorious in doubles play after one of the Pepperdine players was forced to exit due to an injury.

The singles portion of the match was much less cut-and-dry, with the Waves and Tar Heels going back and forth for three hours of gripping tennis. Carolina dropped the first set on four of six singles courts, with only Scotty and Crawley winning their first sets. Tran and Morra each quickly took straight set losses, giving Pepperdine a 2-1 lead in the match overall. Scotty finished off her opponent, 6-3, 6-4 to even up the match, setting up the rest of the afternoon as a best-of-three affair.

Appropriately enough, each of the final three singles matches went to three sets. Carson Tanguilig rallied from a 3-6 loss in the first set to take the next two, 6-3, 6-2, moving the Tar Heels to within a point of the national semifinals. The Waves responded in kind, as Crawley couldn’t finish the job and dropped her match in three sets after winning the first.

All eyes then turned to Anika Yarlagadda on court six. Yarlagadda had lost the first set 2-6, but rallied for a 6-3 win in the second before earning two crucial breaks of serve in the decisive third set. Up 5-2 and serving at match point, Yarlagadda got the benefit of a very lucky bounce at the net, ending the marathon quarterfinal and sending the Tar Heels through to Saturday’s Final Four.

“We got a little fortuitous bounce at the end, but when you play aggressive like Anika did at the end, good things happen,” said head coach Brian Kalbas. “She deserved to win, and it was such an amazing accomplishment by our team.”

Carolina is in the Final Four for the third time in as many tournaments, not counting the shortened 2020 season. The Tar Heels will have a short turnaround to recover, as their semifinal match is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. in Champaign. UNC will face either No. 4 overall seed Texas, the defending national champion, or No. 5 overall seed Virginia. The Cavaliers defeated Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals in April.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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