from GoHeels.com & GoDuke.com
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – Anika Yarlagadda has become a clutch player for the University of North Carolina women’s tennis program. The junior once again came up with a critical clinch-point victory that gave the top ranked Tar Heels a 4-3 win over No. 8 Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Championship.
North Carolina (28-2) reaches its fifth NCAA Final Four in program history and for the first time advances to the semifinals in back-to-back seasons. Today’s win also exacted a bit of revenge from last year’s 4-3 loss to Pepperdine in the semis in Orlando.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The fourth-ranked Duke women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the 11th time in school history and the ninth time under head coach Jamie Ashworth as the Blue Devils held off No. 6 NC State, 4-3, in the quarterfinal match Friday night at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.
“Every time we play NC State, it’s a 4-3 match,” said Ashworth postmatch. “It was 4-3 in March; it was 4-3 last year. We know that it’s going to be a battle and we were tougher when we needed to be there at the end of the matches. It was a physical match, but at this time of year, that’s what we want. We want the opportunity to be playing again, and I told the team that they’ve earned that right.”
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