CHAPEL HILL – The Elon women's tennis team pushed No. 3 North Carolina on Tuesday night before ultimately falling 7-0 to the Tar Heels at the Chewning Tennis Center.

Following a competitive doubles point, Elon won a set in four of the six singles matches, taking the opening frame in three of those contests. The Phoenix faced four ranked singles opponents, including three currently in the top 25 of the ITA rankings. 

The Rundown

• The Tar Heels won all three doubles matches despite valiant efforts on all three courts by the Phoenix.
• On Court 1, Simone Bergeron and Mariana Reding broke North Carolina's top duo of Tatum Evans and Oby Kajuru in each of their opening two service games. The Elon tandem then came up with a clutch hold to make the score 3-3 before the Tar Heels won the final three games to earn the victory,
• Playing together for the first time this spring, Alexis Nyborg and Helen Sarikulaya went up a break in their match on Court 2. The North Carolina pairing of Reese Brantmeier and Mary Grace Rennard broke back before winning 6-4 to clinch the doubles point.
• Cornelia Kack and Lisa Kranec stayed within touch against Thea Rabman and Claire Hill at the No. 3 spot but could not find a way past the Tar Heels, who held off the Elon duo for a 6-4 victory.
• Elon swept the opening sets at Nos. 4-6 singles.
• Sarikulaya won her opening set against Rennard on Court 6, 7-5, and went up a break in the second set. The senior served for the match at 5-3 but Rennard won the next four games force a match tiebreak. Sarikulaya was forced to retire in the breaker, giving Rennard the victory.
• Nyborg rallied late in her first set against Hill at the No. 5 spot, winning the final three games for a 7-5 victory. Hill fought back to win the next two sets and the match.
• On Court 4, Kranec won a marathon opening set in a tiebreak (7-5) against Rabman, who answered by taking the second set to force a decisive third. Kranec fell behind 5-1 in the final set but won three consecutive games to get back in the match. However, Rabman won the 5-4 game to stave off the comeback bid.
• Kack put a fourth Elon set on the board at the No. 2 spot, taking the second against Kajuru, the No. 7 player in the current ITA rankings, 6-4, to force a deciding frame. Kack, who was named CAA Co-Player of the Week earlier on Tuesday, went down an early break in the final set but came from 0-40 down in a Kajuru service game to get back on serve trailing 3-2. Kajuru won the next three games to hold off another strong Phoenix effort.
• At No. 1 singles, Brantmeier, who won the NCAA singles championship in the fall, won the first eight games, but Bergeron broke back and held to level the second set at 2-2. However, the No. 1 ranked ITA singles player reeled off the next four for a victory.
• Two of Elon's four set wins in singles came against ITA ranked players.
• The loss snapped Elon's three-match winning streak.

 
Up Next
The Phoenix opens a seven-match homestand Saturday with a doubleheader against Gardner-Webb and Livingstone. The first match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
 
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Results
Singles
1. No. 1 Reese Brantmeier (UNC) def. Simone Bergeron (Elon) 6-0, 6-2
2. No. 7 Oby Kajuru (UNC) def. Cornelia Kack (Elon) 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
3. No. 21 Tatum Evans (UNC) def. Mariana Reding (Elon) 6-0, 6-2
4. No. 90 Thea Rabman (UNC) def. Lisa Kranec (Elon) 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4
5. Claire Hill (UNC) def. Alexis Nyborg (Elon) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
6. Mary Grace Rennard (UNC) def. Helen Sarikulaya (Elon) 5-7, 7-5, retired
 
Doubles
1. Tatum Evans/Oby Kajuru (UNC) def. Simone Bergeron/Mariana Reding (Elon) 6-3
2. Reese Brantmeier/Mary Grace Rennard (UNC) def. Alexis Nyborg/Helen Sarikulaya (Elon) 6-4
3. Claire Hill/Thea Rabman (UNC) def. Cornelia Kack/Lisa Kranec (Elon) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,2,5,6,4)