Women’s Tennis Falls At #13 North Carolina, 4-3

March 22, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, NC – Clemson’s 20th-ranked doubles team of Ani Mijacika and Carol Salge upset the nation’s #10 team of Sanaz Marand and Sophie Grabinski from North Carolina, highlighting Saturday’s women’s tennis action for the Tigers. However, the 13th-ranked Tar Heels won the match, 4-3, at the Cone Kenfield Tennis Center.

Mijacika and Salge improved to 6-2 on the year with the 8-5 win at flight one. Laura Reichert and Alexandra Jurewitz partnered for North Carolina at the number three spot, winning by an 8-6 margin over Ina Hadziselimovic and Alexandra Luc. At the second position, the North Carolina duo of Austin Smith and Katrina Tsang then edged Clemson’s Estefania Balda and Federica van Adrichem, 9-7, to score the doubles point for the Tar Heels.

In singles action, Salge tied the match score at 1-1 with her straight set victory over Reichert at flight four (6-0, 6-2) before North Carolina won the next two flights to regain the lead. Smith won at flight three over Van Adrichem (6-2, 6-3) while Graniski defeated Luc in a three-set battle at the number six position (2-6, 6-2, 6-0).

Hadziselimovic scored the Tigers’ second point of the afternoon with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Meg Fanjoy at flight two. Balda then fell to 27th-ranked Tsang at the second slot after winning the first set of the match, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Mijacika, currently ranked #2, overcame a 5-0 deficit in the third set to ninth-ranked Marand to win her 20th match of the year. The Tiger sophomore dropped the first set, 6-4, before rebounding for a 7-5 victory in set two and the 7-6 win in the final frame.

Clemson will remain in the Research Triangle for a date with Duke on Sunday. The Tigers and ninth-ranked Blue Devils are scheduled to begin play at 3:00 pm in Durham, NC.

#13 North Carolina 4, #34 Clemson 3 Doubles 1. #20 Mijacika/Salge (CU) def. #10 Marand/Grabinsk (UNC), 8-5 2. Smith/Tsang (UNC) def. Balda/Van Adrichem (CU), 9-7 3. Reichert/Jurewitz (UNC) def. Hadziselimovic/Luc (CU), 8-6 Order of Finish – 1, 3, 2Singles 1. #2 Ani Mijacika (CU) def. #9 Sanaz Marand (UNC), 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 2. #27 Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. Estefanie Balda (CU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 3. #85 Austin Smith (UNC) def. #124 Federica van Adrichem, 6-2, 6-3 4. Carol Salge (CU) def. Laura Reichert (UNC), 6-0, 6-2 5. Ina Hadziselimovic (CU) def. Meg Fanjoy (UNC), 6-4, 6-4 6. Sophie Grabinski (UNC) def. Alexandra Luc (CU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 Order of Finish – 4, 3, 6, 5, 2, 1