For the second year running, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been crowned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women’s Tennis Champions after a commanding 4-0 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday at Cary Tennis Park.
This latest title marks UNC’s 13th overall ACC championship, their seventh since 2016, and the eighth under veteran head coach Brian Kalbas.
In a repeat of the 2024 final, the second-seeded Tar Heels (23-4, 11-1 ACC) opened strong by capturing the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. No. 9-ranked duo Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton defeated the nation’s top-ranked pair, while No. 73 Tatum Evans and Thea Rabman sealed the point with a 6-3 win on court three.
North Carolina’s momentum carried into singles, where they quickly closed out the match. MVP Reese Brantmeier, ranked No. 5 nationally, dominated her matchup with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court one. Carson Tanguilig followed suit on court five with a 6-0, 6-2 win, and Claire Hill clinched the championship with a 6-2, 6-0 sweep on court six.
“It’s a special moment for this team,” said Coach Kalbas. “We’ve been building toward this all season, and the way our players stepped up today speaks volumes.”
The victory extends UNC’s record to 6-4 all-time against Virginia in ACC Championship play. It was the Tar Heels’ 21st appearance in the tournament final and Virginia’s seventh.
Final Score:
No. 8 North Carolina 4, No. 7 Virginia 0
Doubles Results:
-
Court 1: #9 Brantmeier/Hamilton (UNC) def. #1 Chervinsky/Collard (UVA) – 6-1
-
Court 2: Maltby/Tanguilig (UNC) vs. Xu/Genis Salas (UVA) – 5-6, unfinished
-
Court 3: #73 Evans/Rabman (UNC) def. Pico Navarro/Ziodato (UVA) – 6-3
Singles Results:
-
Court 1: #5 Brantmeier (UNC) def. #20 Ziodato (UVA) – 6-2, 6-1
-
Court 2: #50 Evans (UNC) vs. #33 Chervinsky (UVA) – 5-7, 1-0, unfinished
-
Court 3: #21 Rabman (UNC) vs. #35 Xu (UVA) – 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
-
Court 4: Hamilton (UNC) vs. Genis Salas (UVA) – 5-7, 2-0, unfinished
-
Court 5: #44 Tanguilig (UNC) def. Lacy (UVA) – 6-0, 6-2
-
Court 6: Hill (UNC) def. Collard (UVA) – 6-2, 6-0
Road to the Championship:
-
Quarterfinals: UNC 4, Stanford 0
-
Semifinals: UNC 4, NC State 1
-
Final: UNC 4, Virginia 0
Virginia, who entered as the No. 4 seed, had impressive wins over California and top-seeded Duke en route to the final but couldn’t match the energy and execution of the Tar Heels on championship day.
UNC now heads into the NCAA Championship with strong momentum, aiming to add a national title to their ACC crown.
Leave a Reply