Scotty's Sensational Season

Three national championships, an ACC Championship, and an appearance at the US Open sounds like a career's worth of accomplishments. Elizabeth Scotty did all that in a span of nine months in 2021.

Scotty recently put the finishing touches on her tennis season with a doubles national title at the ITA Fall National Championships in early November.

Always humble and team oriented, Scotty doesn't even consider herself a good doubles player yet.

"I'm able to do just enough of the right stuff to win," mentioned Scotty, a junior from Annapolis, Maryland. "I still have a lot to learn."

Brian Kalbas, Carolina's women's tennis coach for the last 19 years, isn't surprised about the modest way Scotty thinks of her game right now.

"She doesn't want the attention, doesn't seek the attention," said UNC head coach Brian Kalbas. "Scotty simply comes to work each day and does her business."

Standing 6 foot 1 and blessed with an abundance of athleticism, Scotty's length makes her tough to handle on the tennis court.

"She's an absolute force at the net and has a really good return of serve," said Kalbas. "She is by far the most complete doubles player you see out there."

Scotty not only won a national crown this fall, but also joined Makenna Jones this past May in becoming only the second doubles tandem in Tar Heel history to win the NCAA doubles title, joining the legendary duo of Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long who brought first brought the hardware back to Chapel Hill in 2007.

"I credit my teammates [for winning]," explained Scotty. "Makenna knows how to play doubles and that was super helpful."

20210528 NCAA D1 Tennis Championships — Elizabeth Scotty and Makenna Jones celebrate winning the 2021 NCAA Doubles National Championship.

FAMILY FOUNDATION
Scotty began playing tennis at age four and excelled as a youth player at the prestigious Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland, throughout her teenage years.

Always surrounded by talented players at JTCC, it was a 15K pro event in Charleston, S.C., that convinced Scotty she may have a future playing tennis.

"I was 14 at the time and won the first-round match and was paired with someone from Duke in the second round. I ended up losing in three sets but figured If I can compete with a player at that level now, I certainly could when I get older."

Scotty's maturity and personality caught the eye of Carolina's coaching staff in the recruiting process. And the family foundation that was built for Scotty is exactly what Kalbas wants for his program.

"We always recruit the person over the player," Kalbas said. "She has amazing talent, but is such a better person than she is a tennis player. She thanks us after every practice. You just don't see that. She will do anything to help others and the program."

Scotty's inspiration and work ethic comes from her mom, Martha (Sheldon), a standout basketball player at the University of Portland, who held the West Coast Conference record for most career points for nearly 20 years after scoring 1,953 points.

"I've always looked up to my mom," said Scotty. "She's always worked hard to make her path. She played collegiate basketball and was an All-American and now is a captain in the Navy and an oral surgeon. I think to myself, 'dang, I want to be like you.'"

US OPEN
One of the spoils of winning the NCAA doubles championship is a wild card entry to play on the biggest stage in American tennis at the US Open. Scotty and Jones took on a seeded team from the Czech Republic that featured Lucie Hradecká, a three-time Grand Slam champion, and Marie Bouzková.

Eye opening was how Scotty explained her experience.

"Seeing Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka and thinking, 'what am I doing here?'''

The Tar Heels quickly turned a few heads when they nearly pulled off a dramatic upset in their opening round match.

"It was one of our better performances," said Scotty. "Being in that moment and losing 7-6, 7-6, was frustrating but now we know we can handle this level.

"I feel like I came in intimidated and left confident."

A NEW PARTNER
With Jones exhausting her eligibility last spring, the coaching staff understood that Scotty would have a new playing partner come the fall semester.

Kalbas decided after about a week of preparation in mid-October to pair Scotty with sophomore Fiona Crawley, a really good player in her own right but still new to the nuances of college-level doubles, for the ITA Regionals in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The results were flawless as the duo went 5-0 to win the regional title and gain a spot in the ITA's championship field.

"I was surprised [to win] based only on the lack of time we spent playing together," said Scotty.

Kalbas credits Scotty's leadership abilities in how well they played with minimal on-court time together.

"I thought it would take a while for these guys to gel," explained Kalbas. "But they showed such belief and positive body language and supported each other so well you would have thought they had been playing together for years."

Crawley and Scotty made the cross-country trek to San Diego for the final major event of the semester, the ITA Fall National Championships.

Seeded fourth in the 32-team field, Carolina's newest doubles tandem won eight successive sets over four matches to reach the finals against a veteran team from Old Dominion.

Crawley and Scotty dropped the opening set and trailed for the first time all week, however, the ever-resilient Scotty once again came up with a clutch performance to win the second set, 6-2, and later win a thrilling third-set super breaker, 11-9, to capture the title.

"You can't underestimate her," said Kalbas of Scotty when it comes to playing so well in the biggest moments. "She's got an incredible competitive spirit and belief in her abilities. She will be there when it matters."

Brian Kalbas, Fiona Crawley and Elizabeth Scotty at the men's basketball game on Dec. 1. — Brian Kalbas, Fiona Crawley and Elizabeth Scotty at the Carolina men's basketball game on Dec. 1.

A SNEAK PEAK TO THE SPRING
As five-time reigning ACC Champions and back-to-back holders of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship titles, the Tar Heels remain among the elite teams in collegiate tennis in 2022.

Gone are the names of Sara Daavettila, Alexa Graham and Makenna Jones, three players that were the faces of not only Carolina's program but college tennis over the last five years. Yet, the program is still on solid ground with a collective group that remains top-to-bottom one of the most talented in the country.

"I'm very excited for the season," said Scotty. "I was devastated after last season losing the seniors and, in my mind, we were never going to be the same, but just seeing the success of Reilly, Fiona, Cameron, Carson, Annika, Alle, Kacie and everyone this fall I think we're going to be a strong team.

"We might not be No. 1 but I think sometimes it's better to do what Texas did [last year] and come in at No. 2 and make the run and win the whole thing.

"We have a younger team and I think we'll definitely take some losses this year, which is foreign, I guess. I think we're going to grow from our mistakes and think we can make another big run at NCAAs."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Fiona Crawley

Sara Daavettila

Alexa Graham

Makenna Jones

Elizabeth Scotty

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