No. 11 NC State women’s tennis fell to No. 5 UNC-Chapel Hill for the third time this season, going down 4-2 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen at the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
The Wolfpack (19-7) started off strong, securing two of three doubles matches to clinch the doubles point and take an early lead, but couldn’t replicate that success in the singles matchups. North Carolina (26-4) took the first two singles matches, and despite a late rally on courts three, four and six, it didn’t take long for the Heels to clinch the match and extend their winning streak to 11.
It was the third meeting of the year between the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels after their annual regular season matchup and a meeting in the ACC Tournament semifinals where North Carolina came out on top. It is also the second NCAA Tournament meeting in three years since the Pack fell to the Heels in the 2023 national championship match.
No. 7 ranked NC State doubles pairing of sophomores Gabriella Broadfoot and Maddy Zampardo got the Pack off on the right foot, defeating No. 2 ranked UNC pairing Alanis Hamilton and Reese Brantmeier 6-3, their third loss of the season.
NC State’s freshman Mia Slama and sophomore Kristina Paskauskas took on UNC pairing Theadora Rabman and Tatum Evans, looking to replicate their 6-2 victory at the ACC Tournament Semifinals. Slama and Paskauskas could not get it done, falling 6-4 in a close match.
But with the score at one apiece, the doubles point was still up for grabs. After NC State pairing sophomore Jasmine Conway and junior Anna Zyryanova went down 3-5 against No. 16 UNC duo Susanna Maltby and Carson Tanguilig, they rallied and tied it up and clinched the tie-breaker, pulling off the upset and securing the doubles point for the Wolfpack.
The Pack quickly dropped two points in the singles round when Zyryanova and Zampardo both lost in straight sets on Courts 1 and 2. No. 55 Zyryanova fell to No. 3 Brantmeier 2-6, 5-7 and No. 76 Zampardo fell to No. 24 Rabman 3-6, 2-6.
The next singles round to finish, No. 110 Slama lost in straight sets to No. 43 Tanguilig 4-6, 4-6. With three-straight singles losses, the air had been taken out of the Pack’s sails. No. 86 Wolfpack freshman Gabia Paskauskas took down Claire Hill in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, but that was the last point that the Wolfpack would earn.
Kristina Paskauskas and Broadfoot won their opening sets, giving the Pack a glimmer of hope to pull out the victory. But having already dropped three points, NC State needed both sophomores to pull through. In the end, neither did — Paskauskas fell to Hamilton 6-2, 6-7, 4-6 and Broadfoot’s match went unfinished as UNC already clinched a berth to the quarterfinals in Waco, Texas.
It was yet another productive season for Wolfpack women’s tennis as it has reached the Sweet Sixteen in six straight years. If it sticks around at the top for long enough, it just might break through and bring home its first national championship.
