Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Leaving Cary As Champions
May 1, 2018 | Women's Tennis, Featured Writers
CARY, N.C. — They arrived at the Cary Tennis Center technically as underdogs.
The North Carolina women's tennis team entered 2018 having earned at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in five straight seasons. In that span, the Tar Heels were the No. 1 seed in the ACC Championship each year. They'd won two ACC titles in a row.
But this season, losses against top-seeded Duke and second-seeded Georgia Tech dropped UNC to a No. 3 seed in the ACC Championship. That marked Carolina's lowest seed since 2009. And although they won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in February, the second-ranked Tar Heels were viewed by some as just as likely as the third-ranked Blue Devils and fourth-ranked Yellow Jackets to claim the league title in Cary this past weekend.
It required overcoming adversity. But Sunday afternoon, just moments after UNC defeated Duke, 4-2, the Tar Heels found themselves in a familiar position, swarming Sara Daavettila after her win clinched another ACC Championship.
The victory helped Carolina become the first program to win three straight ACC Championships since Georgia Tech from 2005-07. The title was UNC's ninth overall. It was also the fourth under Brian Kalbas, who earned his 600th career win with Sunday's victory.
"This year has been such a team effort. Great work ethic, great chemistry and great effort all season," Kalbas said. "This one feels really special also because we've never beaten Duke in the ACCs in my time at Carolina.
"I love this team, and I really enjoy coaching them. They have such an incredible work ethic and attitude about themselves."
Those traits have defined some of Kalbas' most successful teams. But they haven't been more necessary for any group than they've been for this year's squad.
Perhaps no player had more of an impact on the program than Hayley Carter, who graduated last May. Her 168 singles wins are the most in ACC women's tennis history. And although her off-the-court accomplishments might carry just as much, if not more, meaning than what she achieved on the court, her consistency at No. 1 singles took some pressure off her teammates.
No one could be asked to replace Carter. Instead, the Tar Heels have relied on different players stepping up throughout this season. That was never more imperative than it was Sunday.
UNC lost the doubles point only three times during the regular season. But after also surrendering it in wins over Wake Forest on Friday and Georgia Tech on Saturday, Carolina coughed up the doubles point to Duke, handing the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
ITA rules only permit five minutes between doubles and singles. And during that time Sunday, Kalbas did what he wanted his players to do – he stayed positive.
"I just kind of chuckled and went, 'We could be the first team ever to win an ACC Championship without winning a doubles point,'" he recalled. "'This is a great opportunity for us to do that.'"
Kalbas also challenged his players during this time. He asked them who wanted to deliver the Tar Heels the momentum-changing first point that they needed. Makenna Jones answered.
Just nine days earlier, Jones had defeated Duke's Samantha Harris, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (4), in one of the best matches played all season. Jones' victory moved her to No. 7 in the national rankings. And in Sunday's rematch, Jones once again bested Harris, who was forced to retire Saturday against Miami because of a wrist issue.
"Unfortunately she was injured," said Jones, who beat Harris, 6-1, 6-0. "But to put that point on the board that quickly for the team was awesome."
In many ways, Jones' win gave UNC all the confidence it needed.
Duke regained the lead with a win on Court 5. But moments later, Chloe Ouellet-Pizer defeated Hannah Zhao, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, on Court 6, tying the match at 2.
No position in collegiate tennis goes more overlooked than the No. 6 spot. And the fact that Ouellet-Pizer, considered a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net when she enrolled at Carolina in 2015, has played there the last two seasons is a testament to the Tar Heels' depth.
In UNC's 5-2 loss at Duke on April 20, Ouellet-Pizer lost to Ellyse Hamlin in straight sets. Yet she rebounded from that Sunday, winning her third match of the ACC Championship. The victory improved her to 9-0 all-time in postseason play and 8-1 over her last nine matches.
"She's being a better athlete on the court," Kalbas said. "She's moving better. She's competing. She's able to come forward and finish some points at the net. She's playing just more of a complete game, which is really exciting."
The same could be said for Alle Sanford.
On Saturday, Sanford fell in three sets against Georgia Tech's Kenya Jones. The loss could have marked yet another frustrating moment in a season full of them for the freshman, who claimed the Oracle/ITA Masters singles title in September before opening the spring 4-10 at No. 1 singles. But Kalbas saw growth in the defeat.
"After she lost, I go, 'Alle, you're playing the best tennis I've seen you play since indoors and definitely since the fall,'" Kalbas said. "'You are back. Forget about the lost opportunities and losing that match. You're going to come through (Sunday) because your game is back, your attitude is back and your killer instinct is back.'"
Sanford showed all of that Sunday.
Facing Duke's Meible Chi, who beat Sanford in straight sets on April 20, Sanford battled back from a 5-4 deficit in the first set to win 7-6. She had multiple opportunities to claim the second set. But even after her initial attempts proved unfruitful, she never seemed fazed. She kept battling. And she ultimately won 7-5, giving Carolina its first lead at 3-2.
"It's been a little rough of a season," Sanford said. "But I've been working hard and building for (Saturday) in the second set and parts of the third to be able to find my game. And then (Sunday), to come out and be able to show it is really important."
It's important for her confidence heading into the NCAA Championships, which begin May 11. But it was even more vital Sunday given the circumstances.
With Sanford's win, the only matches remaining were on Courts 3 and 4, where Daavettila and Alexa Graham, respectively, split their first two sets. Both matches lasted about an hour after Sanford's ended. In total, Sunday's match ran three hours and 43 minutes, making it the longest of the tournament and one of the longest in the event's history.
At times, Daavettila, Graham and their opponents all seemed like they'd found momentum. But their respective counterparts fought back. With both matches occurring in two separate bays, fans and teammates continuously rotated in circles, trying to track the scores and predict the winners but with little success.
"I've got terrible nerves, and I just can't control them," Jones said. "I was telling (Cassandra Vazquez) I was trying not to vomit, and my whole body was spazzing."
Finally, Graham seized a 6-4 lead in her third-set tiebreaker. A Tar Heel victory seemed imminent. Camera operators, photographers and social media coordinators readied to capture the moment. But it never came, at least not on Court 4. Duke's Kelly Chen knotted the tiebreaker at 6.
By then, Daavettila had come back from a 5-4 deficit in the third set and pulled ahead 6-5. And as Chen started to serve, Duke's Kaitlyn McCarthy double faulted on Court 3.
Thus the UNC celebration commenced.
Before Daavettila could reach the net and shake her opponent's hand, her teammates mobbed her. Jessie Aney, as energetic as any current Carolina student-athlete, led the way. The others followed in waves, bounding across the complex. Graham arrived last.
Championship hats were subsequently distributed. And as the team awaited the trophy presentation, Daavettila embraced Graham and said, "I knew one of us had it."
"I have so much confidence in our whole team in general," said Daavettila, who didn't play a singles match during the Tar Heels' final three regular-season games because of an injury. "I knew everyone was going to try their best, and if we all did our part, we were going to be successful."
That sort of attitude, after all, is what got them there.
It's what led to Kalbas being showered with water by Maggie Kane and Vazquez during his postgame interview. It's what helped Jones, who obsessed over results as a freshman, realize her potential as a sophomore and be named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting a 3-0 record at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 3 doubles alongside Marika Akkerman.
And in the end, it's why the Tar Heels loaded their team van – made possible through a donation by former UNC men's tennis player Tom Chewning in the spring of 2014 – with the ACC Championship trophy for a third consecutive year.
They then left the Cary Tennis Center again as champions.
The North Carolina women's tennis team entered 2018 having earned at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in five straight seasons. In that span, the Tar Heels were the No. 1 seed in the ACC Championship each year. They'd won two ACC titles in a row.
But this season, losses against top-seeded Duke and second-seeded Georgia Tech dropped UNC to a No. 3 seed in the ACC Championship. That marked Carolina's lowest seed since 2009. And although they won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in February, the second-ranked Tar Heels were viewed by some as just as likely as the third-ranked Blue Devils and fourth-ranked Yellow Jackets to claim the league title in Cary this past weekend.
It required overcoming adversity. But Sunday afternoon, just moments after UNC defeated Duke, 4-2, the Tar Heels found themselves in a familiar position, swarming Sara Daavettila after her win clinched another ACC Championship.
The victory helped Carolina become the first program to win three straight ACC Championships since Georgia Tech from 2005-07. The title was UNC's ninth overall. It was also the fourth under Brian Kalbas, who earned his 600th career win with Sunday's victory.
"This year has been such a team effort. Great work ethic, great chemistry and great effort all season," Kalbas said. "This one feels really special also because we've never beaten Duke in the ACCs in my time at Carolina.
"I love this team, and I really enjoy coaching them. They have such an incredible work ethic and attitude about themselves."
Those traits have defined some of Kalbas' most successful teams. But they haven't been more necessary for any group than they've been for this year's squad.
Perhaps no player had more of an impact on the program than Hayley Carter, who graduated last May. Her 168 singles wins are the most in ACC women's tennis history. And although her off-the-court accomplishments might carry just as much, if not more, meaning than what she achieved on the court, her consistency at No. 1 singles took some pressure off her teammates.
No one could be asked to replace Carter. Instead, the Tar Heels have relied on different players stepping up throughout this season. That was never more imperative than it was Sunday.
UNC lost the doubles point only three times during the regular season. But after also surrendering it in wins over Wake Forest on Friday and Georgia Tech on Saturday, Carolina coughed up the doubles point to Duke, handing the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
ITA rules only permit five minutes between doubles and singles. And during that time Sunday, Kalbas did what he wanted his players to do – he stayed positive.
"I just kind of chuckled and went, 'We could be the first team ever to win an ACC Championship without winning a doubles point,'" he recalled. "'This is a great opportunity for us to do that.'"
Kalbas also challenged his players during this time. He asked them who wanted to deliver the Tar Heels the momentum-changing first point that they needed. Makenna Jones answered.
Just nine days earlier, Jones had defeated Duke's Samantha Harris, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (4), in one of the best matches played all season. Jones' victory moved her to No. 7 in the national rankings. And in Sunday's rematch, Jones once again bested Harris, who was forced to retire Saturday against Miami because of a wrist issue.
"Unfortunately she was injured," said Jones, who beat Harris, 6-1, 6-0. "But to put that point on the board that quickly for the team was awesome."
In many ways, Jones' win gave UNC all the confidence it needed.
Duke regained the lead with a win on Court 5. But moments later, Chloe Ouellet-Pizer defeated Hannah Zhao, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, on Court 6, tying the match at 2.
No position in collegiate tennis goes more overlooked than the No. 6 spot. And the fact that Ouellet-Pizer, considered a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net when she enrolled at Carolina in 2015, has played there the last two seasons is a testament to the Tar Heels' depth.
In UNC's 5-2 loss at Duke on April 20, Ouellet-Pizer lost to Ellyse Hamlin in straight sets. Yet she rebounded from that Sunday, winning her third match of the ACC Championship. The victory improved her to 9-0 all-time in postseason play and 8-1 over her last nine matches.
"She's being a better athlete on the court," Kalbas said. "She's moving better. She's competing. She's able to come forward and finish some points at the net. She's playing just more of a complete game, which is really exciting."
The same could be said for Alle Sanford.
On Saturday, Sanford fell in three sets against Georgia Tech's Kenya Jones. The loss could have marked yet another frustrating moment in a season full of them for the freshman, who claimed the Oracle/ITA Masters singles title in September before opening the spring 4-10 at No. 1 singles. But Kalbas saw growth in the defeat.
"After she lost, I go, 'Alle, you're playing the best tennis I've seen you play since indoors and definitely since the fall,'" Kalbas said. "'You are back. Forget about the lost opportunities and losing that match. You're going to come through (Sunday) because your game is back, your attitude is back and your killer instinct is back.'"
Sanford showed all of that Sunday.
Facing Duke's Meible Chi, who beat Sanford in straight sets on April 20, Sanford battled back from a 5-4 deficit in the first set to win 7-6. She had multiple opportunities to claim the second set. But even after her initial attempts proved unfruitful, she never seemed fazed. She kept battling. And she ultimately won 7-5, giving Carolina its first lead at 3-2.
"It's been a little rough of a season," Sanford said. "But I've been working hard and building for (Saturday) in the second set and parts of the third to be able to find my game. And then (Sunday), to come out and be able to show it is really important."
It's important for her confidence heading into the NCAA Championships, which begin May 11. But it was even more vital Sunday given the circumstances.
With Sanford's win, the only matches remaining were on Courts 3 and 4, where Daavettila and Alexa Graham, respectively, split their first two sets. Both matches lasted about an hour after Sanford's ended. In total, Sunday's match ran three hours and 43 minutes, making it the longest of the tournament and one of the longest in the event's history.
At times, Daavettila, Graham and their opponents all seemed like they'd found momentum. But their respective counterparts fought back. With both matches occurring in two separate bays, fans and teammates continuously rotated in circles, trying to track the scores and predict the winners but with little success.
"I've got terrible nerves, and I just can't control them," Jones said. "I was telling (Cassandra Vazquez) I was trying not to vomit, and my whole body was spazzing."
Finally, Graham seized a 6-4 lead in her third-set tiebreaker. A Tar Heel victory seemed imminent. Camera operators, photographers and social media coordinators readied to capture the moment. But it never came, at least not on Court 4. Duke's Kelly Chen knotted the tiebreaker at 6.
By then, Daavettila had come back from a 5-4 deficit in the third set and pulled ahead 6-5. And as Chen started to serve, Duke's Kaitlyn McCarthy double faulted on Court 3.
Thus the UNC celebration commenced.
Before Daavettila could reach the net and shake her opponent's hand, her teammates mobbed her. Jessie Aney, as energetic as any current Carolina student-athlete, led the way. The others followed in waves, bounding across the complex. Graham arrived last.
Championship hats were subsequently distributed. And as the team awaited the trophy presentation, Daavettila embraced Graham and said, "I knew one of us had it."
"I have so much confidence in our whole team in general," said Daavettila, who didn't play a singles match during the Tar Heels' final three regular-season games because of an injury. "I knew everyone was going to try their best, and if we all did our part, we were going to be successful."
That sort of attitude, after all, is what got them there.
It's what led to Kalbas being showered with water by Maggie Kane and Vazquez during his postgame interview. It's what helped Jones, who obsessed over results as a freshman, realize her potential as a sophomore and be named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting a 3-0 record at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 3 doubles alongside Marika Akkerman.
And in the end, it's why the Tar Heels loaded their team van – made possible through a donation by former UNC men's tennis player Tom Chewning in the spring of 2014 – with the ACC Championship trophy for a third consecutive year.
They then left the Cary Tennis Center again as champions.
Players Mentioned
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