UNCG splits pair, tops UNC Asheville and falls to No. 2 North Carolina

GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNC Greensboro split a pair of women's tennis matches against in-state rivals on Saturday, topping UNC Asheville in the morning on the UNCG campus, 4-3, before falling to second-ranked North Carolina, 7-0, in Chapel Hill on Saturday night.

The Spartans (2-1) had to juggle their line-up on Saturday after No. 1 singles player Lucy Dougherty left her doubles match with a wrist injury. That caused the Spartans to have to bump everyone up one slot in singles play,

Against UNC Asheville, Stephanie Macfarlane, Valerie Behr and Mikayla Rogers came through their instant promotion to lift the Spartans to victory. Rogers clinched the win with a 6-4, 6-4 win over former Spartan Britney Cloer, who transferred to UNC Asheville this season, 6-4 and 6-4.

Against the No. 2-ranked Tar Heels (12-1), Jessica Eblen and Alex Rios won their doubles match, 8-2, over Jelena Durisic and Sophie Grabinski. However, North Carolina won the other two doubles matches and swept the six singles matches in straight sets to lock up the win.

UNCG returns to action Friday when it hosts East Carolina at 2:30 p.m.

AGATE

UNCG 4, UNC Asheville 3

Singles: Stephanie MacFarlane (UNCG) def. Leslie Smith 6-2, 6-2; Valerie Behr (UNCG) def. Stephanie Schon 6-0, 6-0; Mikayla Rogers (UNCG) def. Britney Cloer 6-4, 6-4; Devon Cavanaugh (UNCA) def. Annette Rios 6-1, 6-3; Nicole Schon (UNCA) def. Jessica Eblen 6-1, 6-1; Louise Bottomley (UNCA) def. Sasha Skripkina 6-1, 6-1

Doubles: Smith/S. Schon def. Behr/Dougherty 3-4, retired (inj.); Eblen/Rios (UNCG) def. Cavanaugh/Bottomley 8-5; Macfarlane/Rogers (UNCG) def. N. Schon/Cloer 8-2.

No. 2 North Carolina 7, UNCG 0

Singles: No. 41 Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. Alex Whitehead (UNCG), 6-0, 6-2; Jelena Durisic (UNC) def. Stephanie Macfarlane (UNCG), 6-1, 6-2; Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. Valerie Behr (UNCG), 6-2, 6-2; Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Mikayla Rogers (UNCG), 6-2, 6-0; Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) def. Annette Rios (UNCG), 6-1, 6-1; Jocelyn Ffriend (UNC) def. Jessica Eblen (UNCG), 6-2, 6-3

Doubles: Tsang/Ffriend (UNC) def. Whitehead/Macfarlane (UNCG), 8-4; Eblen/Rios (UNCG) def. Grabinski/Durisic (UNC), 8-2; Mabrey/Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) def. Behr/Rogers (UNCG), 8-4

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