NC State
#1 North Carolina
#2 Pack Pushes #1 UNC to Limit, Falls 4-3
4/3/2022 5:49:00 PM | Women's Tennis
RALEIGH – No. 2 NC State women's tennis battled neck and neck with No. 1 North Carolina but ultimately came up just short as the Tar Heels took the 4-3 decision in a highly anticipated matchup between the nation's top two teams on Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, NC State moves to 19-3 on the year and 7-2 in conference play with four regular-season matches remaining.
Five of the singles matches went into third sets as the match ended up coming down to the final court. The contest was the Pack's 11th against a top-25 opponent this season and was the first time any women's team at NC State has hosted a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Raleigh.
NC State took the doubles point for the second time in as many matches against the Tar Heels this season. The team has now accounted for a pair of UNC's four dropped doubles points during 2022 dual match play.
The Wolfpack went up a break early on all three courts. Priska Nugroho and Sophie Abrams were the first to close out their win on court three, dropping just one game on the way to the 6-1 win. In a top-15 matchup on court one, 11th-ranked Jaeda Daniel and Nell Miller knocked off the nation's top-ranked duo of Fiona Crawley and Elizabeth Scotty (the 2021 ITA Fall National Championship winners). The NC State pair won 6-3 to secure the opening point.
The Tar Heels went on to grab the first two singles points with wins on four and five, but Abrams drew the score even again with a gutsy 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Anika Yarlagadda on six. The Wolfpack sophomore came back from a set down to force a third, broke on deciding point to go up 5-3 in the final frame and held for the win.
That left the decision up to the top three flights, with each of those matches in third sets of their own. UNC added to its tally in a thriller of a matchup between top-15 players on court one, but NC State's Nugroho quickly put the score at 3-3 with a win on court two.
The Wolfpack freshman earned the highest ranked victory of her early collegiate career, beating UNC's 10th-ranked Reilly Tran 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. Nugroho followed in similar fashion to Abrams, making up a set deficit and breaking to go up 5-3 in the third set.
The decision came down to court two, where 31st-ranked Abigail Rencheli and 16th-ranked Elizabeth Scotty had split the first two sets. When Nugroho's match ended, Scotty had a 3-0 advantage over Rencheli in the third set, and Scotty went on to win 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-1 to secure the team victory for the Tar Heels.
The Wolfpack hits the road next weekend for a pair of matches in the state of Virginia. The Wolfpack takes on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday and the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday.
RESULTS:
#2 NC State 3, #1 North Carolina 4
Doubles Results
Order of finish: 3, 1
1. #11 Jaeda Daniel/Nell Miller (NCSU) def. #1 Fiona CrawleyElizabeth Scotty (UNC) 6-3
2. #27 Abigail Rencheli/Amelia Rajecki (NCSU) vs. Cameron Morra/Alle Sanford (UNC) 4-4, unfinished
3. Priska Nugroho/Sophie Abrams (NCSU) def. Carson Tanguilig/Reilly Tran (UNC) 6-1
Singles Results
Order of finish: 4, 5, 6, 1, 3, 2
1. #12 Cameron Morra (UNC) def. #14 Jaeda Daniel (NCSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
2. #16 Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. #31 Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-1
3. Priska Nugroho (NCSU) def. #10 Reilly Tran (UNC) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
4. #34 Fiona Crawley (UNC) def. Nell Miller (NCSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. #33 Carson Tanguilig (UNC) def. Amelia Rajecki (NCSU) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
6. Sophie Abrams (NCSU) def. Anika Yarlagadda (UNC) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
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Players Mentioned
