April 20, 2006

CARY, N.C. - Fifth-seeded North Carolina swept all three doubles matches and garnered straight-set victories by Laura Reichert, Austin Smith and Sara Anundsen to defeat 12th-seed Boston College 4-0 Thursday in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Tournament held at the Cary Tennis Center in Cary, N.C.

The victory improves the Tar Heels to 24-5 overall on the year while Boston College finishes the season with a 7-14 mark. The Tar Heels, ranked 7th in the country in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, will face the tournament's fourth-seed, 17th-ranked Clemson, Friday at 9 a.m. The winner of that match will take on the winner of the Georgia Tech - NC State match that will also take place Friday at 9 a.m.

Carolina started fast against the Eagles, taking each of the three doubles matches. The fifth-ranked pairing of Jenna Long and Sara Anundsen scored the first victory for Carolina as they swept Dasha Cherkasov and Lana Krosnopolsky 8-0 at No. 1. Caitlin Collins and Tanja Markovic followed suit and clinched the doubles point for the Tar Heels, defeating Szilvia Szegedi and Alina Sullivan 8-4 at No. 2. Austin Smith and Meg Fanjoy earned the doubles sweep for Carolina at No. 3, taking down Gia Nafarrete and Lindsay Nash 8-1.

Carolina continued its dominant play in the singles matches as freshmen Austin Smith and Laura Reichert, seeing the first ACC Tournament action of their careers, earned victories at No. 5 and No. 4. Reichert struck first for the Tar Heels as she defeated the Eagles' Lindsay Nash 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5. Smith, ranked 89th in the nation, defeated Alina Sullivan 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4.

Carolina clinched the match as junior Sara Anundsen defeated Lana Krosnopolsky 6-0, 7-5 at No. 3.

Three matches were left unfinished with the Tar Heels two all-conference performers, juniors Jenna Long and Caitlin Collins, leading their matches. Long, ranked 34th, led No. 113 Szilvia Szegedi 6-4, 6-6 (2-1) at No. 1 and Collins, ranked 64th, led Dasha Cherkasov 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 at No. 2.

The victory is Carolina's second of the season over Boston College with the Tar Heels earning a 7-0 sweep of the Eagles on April 2 at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.

No. 7 (No. 5 seed) North Carolina 4, No. 12 seed Boston College 0
Doubles
1. No. 5 Sara Anundsen / Jenna Long (UNC) d. Lana Krasnopolsky/Dash Cherkasov (BC) 8-0
2. Caitlin Collins / Tanja Markovic (UNC) d. Alina Sullivan/Szilivia Szegedi (BC) 8-4
3. Austin Smith / Meg Fanjoy (UNC) d. Lindsey Nash/Gia Nafarrete (BC) 8-1
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. No. 34 Jenna Long (UNC) led No. 113 Szilvia Szegedi (BC) 6-4, 6-6 (2-1) DNF
2. No. 64 Caitlin Collins (UNC) led Dasha Cherkasov (BC) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 DNF
3. Sara Anundsen (UNC) d. Lana Krosnopolsky (BC) 6-0, 7-5 *
4. No. 89 Austin Smith (UNC) d. Alina Sullivan (BC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Laura Reichert (UNC) d. Lindsay Nash (BC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Tanja Markovic (UNC) tied Gia Nafarrete (BC) 6-2, 3-6, 1-1 DNF
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3*
* Clinched the match