Tar Heels Stumble in Quarterfinals as Buckeyes Rally at ITA Indoor Championships
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For the first time this season, the North Carolina women’s tennis team walked off the court with a loss. The top-seeded Tar Heels were knocked out of the ITA Team National Indoor Championship on Saturday, falling 4-2 to a gritty Ohio State squad that flipped the script after dropping the doubles point.
UNC came out looking every bit like the tournament’s No. 1 seed in doubles. The fifth-ranked duo of Oby Kajuru and Susanna Maltby set the tone early, cruising to a 6-2 win over Ohio State’s No. 13-ranked pair of Hephzibah Oluwadare and Teah Chavez. Moments later, the sixth-ranked tandem of Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton matched that scoreline, taking down the Buckeyes’ Perry and Johnson to clinch the doubles point.
With the early 1-0 lead, the Tar Heels had momentum - but Ohio State didn’t blink.
The Buckeyes responded with a surge in singles play, grabbing four wins to swing the match in their favor. UNC’s lone singles victory came from junior Tatum Evans, who delivered a composed performance against No. 52-ranked Nao Nishino. Evans, ranked 21st nationally, handled business in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, showing poise and precision from the baseline to keep Carolina in the fight.
But elsewhere, the Buckeyes were relentless.
Ohio State’s Teah Chavez, ranked 13th, took down UNC’s Oby Kajuru - a top-10 player herself - in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. That result was a key turning point, not just because of the ranking disparity, but because Kajuru had been one of UNC’s most consistent anchors all season.
In another pivotal matchup, Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev of Ohio State outlasted UNC’s Anna Frey in a tightly contested first set, winning the tiebreak before running away with the second, 7-6(4), 6-1. That win gave the Buckeyes a 3-2 edge, and they sealed the deal with a gritty three-set victory by Audrey Spencer over Alanis Hamilton, 7-5, 6-3.
The clincher came from Hephzibah Oluwadare, who shook off a second-set stumble to outlast Theadora Rabman in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Her win capped a four-point singles rally that sent the Buckeyes into the semifinals and handed UNC its first loss of the season.
It wasn’t without a fight, though. At the top of the lineup, Reese Brantmeier - UNC’s No. 1 - was locked in a battle with Ohio State’s Luciana Perry, ranked third nationally. Brantmeier dropped the first set but fought back to take the second 7-5 and was trailing 4-5 in the third when the match was halted, unfinished after the team result was decided.
For North Carolina, the loss stings - not just because of the early exit, but because of how close they were to turning the tide. But this is still a deep, dangerous squad with talent up and down the lineup. Saturday’s setback may have ended their run in Champaign, but it also serves as a reminder: in college tennis, no lead is safe, and no opponent can be taken lightly.
Ohio State, meanwhile, showed why they’re a threat to anyone in the draw. After dropping the doubles point, they didn’t flinch - they just went to work, grinding out singles wins with toughness and composure. It’s the kind of performance that makes you believe they’re not done yet.
Match Summary:
Doubles:
- Kajuru/Maltby (UNC) def.
Oluwadare/Chavez (OSU), 6-2
- Brantmeier/Hamilton (UNC) def.
Perry/Johnson (OSU), 6-2
- Evans/Frey (UNC) vs.
Cisse-Ignatiev/Spencer (OSU), 4-4 (unfinished)
Singles:
- Brantmeier (UNC) vs.
Perry (OSU), 3-6, 7-5, 4-5 (unfinished)
- Chavez (OSU) def.
Kajuru (UNC), 6-3, 6-2
- Evans (UNC) def.
Nishino (OSU), 6-4, 6-3
- Cisse-Ignatiev (OSU) def.
Frey (UNC), 7-6(4), 6-1
- Spencer (OSU) def.
Hamilton (UNC), 7-5, 6-3
- Oluwadare (OSU) def.
Rabman (UNC), 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
The Tar Heels will regroup, knowing they have the depth and experience to bounce back. But for now, the Buckeyes are the ones moving on - and they’ve made it clear they’re not just here to play. They’re here to win.