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The University of North Carolina women’s tennis team’s social media reach is expanding. Much of that is due to the recent signing of freshman Anna Frey.
The viral star boasts a large online following on both Instagram and TikTok. She has Brock Purdy to thank!
Frey signed with the program last November after the Tar Heels’ 2025 finish in the Women’s Tennis Final Four. She now hopes to help the team win a national title.
Her season got off to a good start this week as she picked up her first win.
UNC started the year ranked No. 3 in the national polls. It booked its first win on Sunday with a 7-0 sweep of Campbell.
The program’s social media outlets posted some clips from that season-opening victory this week. One particular post went viral.
Anna Frey is making an impact.
The Tar Heels made three Instagram posts from the win over Campbell. One of those was not like the other.
A final score update got around 1,500 likes. An attendance update received 100 less.
Sandwiched between those posts was a video of Anna Frey earning her first win. The clip blew up online to the tune of 76K likes and over 100 comments – and counting!
The same was true of a previous signing day announcement, which landed over 200K likes.
By collaborating with Frey’s accounts, UNC women’s tennis is expanding its reach. The program is now visible to a new group of users following its viral star.
Frey boasts 818K Instagram followers. She has 2.2 million supporters on TikTok. She buoyed that fame into lucrative NIL deals. She, partly, has Brock Purdy to thank!
Who is UNC’s women’s tennis freshman?
Anna Frey was a top-ranked female tennis player as a high school prospect. Her North Carolina bio refers to her as the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit upon signing with the program.
That on-court success, however, isn’t what grew her online popularity. Instead, it was her resemblance to San Francisco’s starting QB.
Frey went viral for posting videos as Brock Purdy’s doppelganger. The similarity actually earned her a Super Bowl invite in 2024.
It also resulted in NIL success. Frey locked up deals with the likes of American Eagle, Nerds, FILA, and Head USA before stepping foot on campus in Chapel Hill. Her NIL worth is valued at more than $680,000.
That ranks sixth amongst female athletes.
Anna Frey is one of the nation’s most popular stars. Some of that fame is tied to Brock Purdy. Her new team is exploiting that link to grow its brand.
This is the new age of college sports!