Spartans fall to No. 8 North Carolina to Open 2013 Spring Season

Box score (PDF)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNCG opened its women's tennis spring season Wednesday, Jan. 23, falling 7-0 to No. 8 North Carolina at the Tar Heels' Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

"We were very competitive today," said head coach Jeff Trivette. Our kids should be very proud of their effort and play. We went up against one of the best teams in the country and held our own. We are by no means satisfied, we want to win them all."

In doubles play, seniors Niltooli Wilkins (Burnsville, Minn. / Homeschooled) and Alex Whitehead (Victoria, Australia / Star of the Sea College) lost 8-4 to North Carolina's Lauren McHale (No. 111) and Tessa Lyons (No. 101). 

North Carolina's 21^st-ranked Whitney Kay and Caroline Price (No. 36) took an 8-2 win over senior Annette Rios (Santa Ana, El Salvador / Liceo Latinoamericano) and sophomore Kayla Gammie (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Broward Virtual School). North Carolina's Laura Slater and Kate Vialle had a 7-4 lead against sophomore Stephanie Falcon (Marietta, Ga. / Walton) and junior Dilara Yurtkuran (Istanbul, Turkey / Gunes Koleji) but the match went unfinished. 

In singles action, Wilkins stormed out to a 4-2 lead in the first set against No. 11 Gina Suarez-Malaguti. Suarez-Malaguti tied the set at 4-4 before Wilkins regained the lead at 5-4. Suarez-Malaguti would win the next three games to take the first set 7-5, before winning the second set, 6-0.

Yurtkuran fell to McHale 6-2 in the first set and lost in a close second set, 7-5. North Carolina's Kay (No. 21) defeated Whithead 6-0, 6-0. 

Rios held a lead in the first set at 4-3 but Lyons, ranked No. 101 would come back to take the set 6-4. Rios fought to take the second set, 7-6(8-6), but fell 12-10 in a third-set tiebreaker. 

No. 65 Ashley Dai took a 6-1, 6-2 win over freshman Soumeya Anane (Coventry, Great Britain / Tile Hill Wood School), while Gammie lost 6-2, 6-0 against North Carolina's Slater. 

UNCG will return to action against NC State, Thursday, Feb. 7. That match is set for 4 p.m.

No. 8 North Carolina 7, UNCG 0

Singles

1. No. 11 Gina Suarez-Malaguti (NC) def. Niltooli Wilkins (UNCG), 7-5, 6-0

2. No. 111 Lauren McHale (NC) def. Dilara Yurtkuran (UNCG), 6-2, 7-5

3. No. 21 Whitney Kay (NC) def. Alex Whitehead (UNCG), 6-0, 6-0

4. No. 101 Tessa Lyons (NC) def. Annette Rios (UNCG), 6-4, 7-6(8-6), 12-10

5. No. 65 Ashley Dai (NC) def. Soumeya Anane (UNCG), 6-1, 6-2

6. Laura Slater (NC) def. Kayla Gammie (UNCG), 6-2, 6-0

1. McHale/Lyons (NC) def. Wilkins/Whitehead (UNCG), 8-4

2. Kay/Price (NC) def. Rios/Gammie (UNCG), 8-2

3. Slater/Vialle (NC) def. Falcon/Yurtkuran (UNCG), unfinished

- UNCG -