Carolina women’s tennis kept rolling Friday night, stacking up wins across two different tournament sites as the Tar Heels split their attention between the ITA Conference Masters Championships in Rome, Ga. and the ITA Sectionals hosted by Penn in Philadelphia.
The day brought one doubles victory and three singles wins for Carolina, with Evans/Hamilton delivering the headline result in doubles. The pair handled Penn’s Schlepphorst/Velaga, 6-2, 6-1, and that result pushed them into the doubles semifinals at ITA Sectionals.
In singles, No. 85 Alexis Nguyen, Theadora Rabman and Maddy Zampardo all stayed alive with straight-set victories, setting up quarterfinal matches later this weekend.
Nguyen was especially sharp in her Friday match, blanking Paula Corbalan of Jackson State, 6-0, 6-0. Zampardo followed with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Yale’s Leena Friedman, while Rabman topped Virginia’s Alyssa James, 7-5, 6-3.
Carolina’s Friday slate also included losses in doubles for Frey/Rabman and Nguyen/Manning. Yale’s Ogilvy/Friedman beat Frey/Rabman, 6-0, 7-5, and Furman’s Murphy/Warren knocked off Nguyen/Manning, 7-5, 6-3.
Thursday had already given the Tar Heels a strong start in Philadelphia. Evans/Hamilton beat Brown’s Lee/Shen, 6-0, 6-3, Nguyen/Manning took down Bellarmine’s Kollaritsch/Brook, 6-4, 6-3, and Frey/Rabman edged Princeton’s Chhiv/Zhang, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 1-0 (6).
In singles on Thursday, Rabman beat Boston College’s Jacqueline Soloveychik, 6-4, 6-1, Nguyen defeated McNeese State’s Salome Fluri, 6-3, 6-2, and Zampardo got past Princeton’s Pearlie Zhang, 6-1, 6-4.
Carolina also saw several singles runs end Thursday and Friday. Princeton’s Madeleine Jessup beat Alanis Hamilton, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 5-7.
Penn’s Esha Velaga defeated No. 21 Tatum Evans, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Duke’s Claire An beat Avery Nguyen, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, and Virginia’s Vivian Yang topped Anna Frey, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. On Friday, Harvard’s Kavya Karra beat No.
21 Tatum Evans by wo., Cornell’s Chloe Fouhety beat Alanis Hamilton by wo., and Princeton’s Isabella Chhiv beat Anna Frey by wo.
The Conference Masters Championships in Rome carry real weight, too. The event gives players a path to the 2026 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships later this fall. Four singles semifinalists will qualify, along with the champion and finalist in doubles.
Sectionals offer another route to the NCAAs. The East Sectional in Philadelphia brings together teams from the Atlantic, Carolina, New England and Northeast regions, and it will send six singles players from each section to the NCAA Singles Championship, plus three doubles teams - the champion, finalist and third-place finisher - to the NCAA Doubles Championship.
In Other News...
Tar Heels Face A Quick Gut Check With Duke Suddenly Next
No. 20 Carolina volleyball ran into a buzz saw against No. 2 Pitt, dropping the match in straight sets by scores of 20-25, 14-25 and 19-25. Safi Hampton, Chelsea Thorpe, Bridget Malone, Laynie Smith and Meghan Clifford were among the key Tar Heels trying to steady things, but Pitts level of play left little room for Carolina to settle in.
The timing makes the loss sting a little more, because the schedule does not offer much breathing room. Duke is next, and the Tar Heels will see the Blue Devils twice, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 15, turning this into a quick gut check for a Carolina team that has to reset fast and carry something useful out of a tough night. [Read more 🡒]
Leaky Black Just Gave UNC Fans A New Reason To Believe
Leaky Black got his first start of the 2026-27 NBA season for the Sacramento Kings and made the most of the opening, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The former UNC wing also showed a more aggressive scoring approach, taking all of his shots from beyond the arc and knocking down four of seven attempts, the kind of efficient perimeter night that can turn a temporary opportunity into something more lasting.
Blacks chance came after a teammate was ruled out because of illness, but the bigger takeaway for Tar Heels fans is how well he handled the moment. A player long valued for his defense and versatility is now giving Sacramento a stronger reason to keep him in the rotation, and if this is the start of a larger role, it could be a development worth watching closely from Chapel Hill. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have Found A Frontcourt Option Wyoming Has To Worry About
North Carolinas lopsided win over Wofford offered a useful glimpse of a bench piece that could become more than a situational option. Alexandros Samodurov gave the Tar Heels a strong lift with 13 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes, showing enough touch and versatility on offense to stand out in a game where the reserves helped tilt the night early.
The bigger question now is how much more Carolina can ask of him, especially with Wyoming on deck. Samodurovs skill set is intriguing, but there are still real questions about whether he can hold up at center against more physical play, which makes his usage worth watching as the schedule tightens and the staff looks for answers in the frontcourt. [Read more 🡒]