Michigan and UNC currently rank 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the interactive Director’s Cup standings, separated by 17.75 points. Women’s Tennis this weekend hosts a super-regional (round of 16), with the winner advancing to the “Elite Eight.” The opponent? Michigan.
Both UNC Men and Women earned spots in the NCAA Tournament this year. The men lost 4-1 in round one to B1G champion Michigan State in Columbia SC. The Spartans then lost to #13 seed and host South Carolina 4-1. In something a rebuilding
season, the men have now made 29 of the last 31 tournaments.
UNC Women earned a national #5 seed and hosted rounds one and two in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels did not drop a match in either round, routing Charleston Southern 4-0 and then South Carolina 4-0 to advance. The doubles pairings of Tatum Evans/Oby Kajuru and Susanna Maltby/Maddy Zampardo were especially dominant, dropping only two games in four sets. In singles, Anna Frey and Thea Rabman notched wins in both rounds, with Reese Brantmeier contributing a point against South Carolina and Maddy Zampardo adding one against Charleston Southern. All other remaining matches were suspended in progress with the outcome settled.
This will be UNC Women’s 16th straight trip to a super-regional. Michigan has now made the last four. The 12th ranked Wolverines are led by Lily Jones, ranked 24th in singles nationally and 33-9 on the season, Reese Miller, ranked 105th and 31-9, and Emily Sartze-Lunde, ranked 120th and and 28-10. Michigan earned their trip to Chapel Hill in Ann Arbor, beating Illinois State 4-0 and then Florida 4-2.
UNC will lean on Reese Brantmeier, currently ranked 2nd nationally and defending NCAA singles champion. The deep UNC team also features Oby Kajuru (ranked 18th), Tatum Evans (42nd), and Maddy Zampardo (116th). That depth on paper gives UNC a big edge in the opening doubles matches, which are decided by one “winner take all” set and award half a point. In rounds one and two, UNC quickly went up 1-0 on the strength of fast, dominant doubles wins, setting the tone for both competitions.
The super-regional begins Friday, May 8th, at 5 pm in the Chewning Tennis Center. Oh, by the way, the women just earned yet another perfect 1.000 in multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR), their 13th in a row.
