University of North Carolina Athletics
What Drives Winning?
March 30, 2016 | Women's Tennis
By Alex Zietlow
This article originally ran in the March 29, 2016 edition of CAROLINA the magazine.
Carolina women's tennis coach Brian Kalbas assigns a different book for his team to read every year. This year's book is Brett Ledbetter's What Drives Winning. Each week, a player is selected to conduct a presentation in front of their teammates and coaches on a chapter. The tradition started four or five years ago, according to Kalbas, with the purpose of keeping the team focused on improving week to week. The exercise not only allows the players to focus in on different messages throughout the season, but it also acts as a means for the players to keep a 'one step at a time mentality' in relation to the long season. It reminds the Tar Heels to enjoy the process.
Fittingly, on Friday of last week, junior Hayley Carter presented on the chapter, “Resilience.” And in the Heels' match Saturday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the top singles player in the nation defeated No. 45 Quinn Gleason 6-0 ,6-4, needing mental toughness and patience to overcome her 1-4 second-set deficit. “I had actually lost to this girl the last time I played her, so I came out very focused,” Carter said. “I've actually been down 1-4 [in a set] in my last three matches and won every set.”
Resilience, as Carter puts it, is “staying the course.” It's about trusting that your game and preparation –with a level head– will translate into consistent success. With Carter down 1-4 at the change break, Kalbas gave her a pep talk, reminding her that resilience is about playing to your strengths. “I said, 'Focus on what you did well in the first set. You were up on the baseline; you were being aggressive, forcing her to miss shots. And when she did come to the net you were taking the ball early and you weren't waiting for her to miss.'”
In her win against Gleason, Carter induced long rallies, anticipating where each ball was going to go, and finished points when her opponent presented her with the opportunity to. Similar tactics help Carter and senior Whitney Kay stay the top-ranked doubles duo in the nation. Their team's game revolves around staying the course, being resilient in times of adversity and remaining consistent in times of success.
Individually, Carter and Kay's respective skill sets have an uncanny fit. Carter's game is characterized by long, deliberate strokes, keeping her opponents deep on the baseline; Kay, conversely, hits a flat, hard ball, relying on her power and horizontal placement to speed it by her opponents. And while their complementary styles of play may detail some of their recipe for success, chemistry, IQ and talent tell a part of the tale as well.
“I think we just mix it up a lot. We hit a lot of angles, a lot of lobs…we never give our opponents an easy point,” Carter said. “I think [Whitney] has an incredibly high IQ, and that's why she's able to finish so well. I try to set her up and she finishes it off for me.”
Saturday, the team of Carter and Kay contributed to the Heels obtaining the doubles point with a 6-1 victory over Gleason and Monica Robinson. The veterans frustrated the Irish into playing out of character, which not only diminished the Irish team's effectiveness, but also motivated the top-ranked Tar Heel tandem to be more aggressive.
“Hayley and I feed off of negative attitudes and negative energy from our opponents,” Kay said. “I think we just took it as an opportunity to be more aggressive and finish them off.”
This week, senior Rachel James-Baker will present to the team the book's message on competitiveness. But despite Carter and Kay's recent performances that indicate a comprehension of what drives winning, it's unlikely Kalbas will allow them to skip the lecture.
Players Mentioned
