Tigers Defeat North Carolina, Advance In ACC Championships

April 18, 2008

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL – The Tiger women’s tennis team claimed the doubles point for the 18th time this season and the bottom half of the Clemson line-up carried the team to a 4-2 victory over North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the 2008 ACC Tournament on Friday morning. Clemson will face top-seeded and #2-ranked Georgia Tech on Saturday at 10:00 am as play continues at the Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, FL.

The Tigers, the #4-seed in the tournament, improved to 13-9 on the year and avenged a 4-3 loss to the Tar Heels (17-8) during the regular season. They have now reached the semifinals of the conference championship for the sixth consecutive season and 12th time since the format changed in 1990.

Clemson’s doubles tandem of Ani Mijacika and Carol Salge, ranked 10th in the latest Fila/ITA Tennis poll, knocked off North Carolina’s #8 team of Sanaz Marand and Sophie Grabinski, 8-2, for the second time this year. Ina Hadziselimovic and Alexandra Luc then improved to 19-8 with an 8-5 victory over Tar Heels Laura Reichert and Alexandra Jurewitz at the no. 3 position to clinch the point for the Tigers.

North Carolina tied the match score at one apiece as Marand, ranked eighth nationally, defeated #1 Mijacika (6-4, 6-1) at the top spot.

Laurianne Henry put Clemson back on top with a straight-set (6-1, 6-4) win over Meg Fanjoy at no. 6, but Estefania Balda fell to 29th-ranked Katarina Tsang at the second position, 7-6(3), 6-1, to knot the match at 2-2.

Federica van Adrichem gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with a 6-1, 7-5 win against Grabinski at no. 5, and Hadziselimovic sealed the victory, outlasting Reichert at the fourth position, 7-5, 6-4.

Fans can watch the match on demand at www.accselect.com tonight at 9:00 pm. Saturday’s semifinals action will also be available on ACC Select at 9:00 pm.

#25 Clemson 4, #13 North Carolina 2Singles 1. #8 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. #1 Ani Mijacika (CU), 6-4, 6-1 2. #29 Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. #108 Estefania Balda (CU), 7-6 (3), 6-1 3. #85 Carol Salge (CU) vs. #103 Austin Smith (UNC), DNF 4. Ina Hadziselimovic (CU) def. Laura Reichert (UNC), 7-5, 6-4 5. Federica van Adrichem (CU) def. Sophie Grabinski (UNC), 6-1, 7-5 6. Laurianne Henry (CU) def. Meg Fanjoy (UNC), 6-1, 6-4 Order of finish: 1, 6, 2, 5, *4Doubles 1. #10 Mijacika/Salge (CU) def. #8 Marand/Grabinski (UNC), 8-2 2. Van Adrichem/Balda (CU) vs. #46 Tsang/Smith (UNC), DNF 3. Hadziselimovic/Alexandra Luc (CU) def. Alexandra Jurewitz/Reichert (UNC), 8-5 Order of finish: 1, *3