Featherston’s presence ‘motivating’ in North Carolina women’s tennis match against Northwestern

Eight months after surgery to repair her torn ACL, North Carolina senior Shinann Featherston came through with a win Friday against the highest-ranked opponent she’s faced this season.

With a win against Northwestern’s No. 86 Brittany Wowchuk, Featherston improved to 7-0 in singles matches in UNC’s first seven matches of the year — the best start by any Tar Heel.

“She’s been a huge boost this early,” UNC coach Brian Kalbas said. “I did not expect her to be playing this well this early in the season, but I’m really excited for her.”

Featherston sustained a torn ACL for the second time in her career in UNC’s NCAA quarterfinal loss to Baylor last May and underwent surgery last June.

Featherston, in her third year as a UNC captain, said she hopes her resolve will inspire her teammates. It seems she is already accomplishing her goal.

“It’s motivating to see Shinann playing next to me because she’s gone through this for so long,” said UNC freshman Caroline Price, the only other Tar Heel to win her singles match in the women’s tennis team’s 4-3 loss to Northwestern on Friday.

UNC’s No. 44 Zoe De Bruycker’s absence forced Kalbas to move Featherston to Court 2 against Wowchuk.

Featherston broke Wowchuk to win the first set, 6-3, but struggled in the second and fell 6-2 to set up a decisive third set.

“I kind of let down in the second set and let some big points affect me,” Featherston said.

Featherston needed to break Wowchuk to erase her 4-2 deficit in the third set after losing a service game earlier in the set.

After UNC’s Laura Slater lost the last two sets of her match against Nida Hamilton, the Wildcats could have clinched the match with a Wowchuk singles win.

“I was frustrated with myself and how I was rushing and stuff, so I just told myself to slow down and get one more ball back than she could,” Featherston said.

Featherston won four consecutive games, breaking Wowchuk twice, to finish the match and give UNC’s No. 16 Lauren McHale a chance to clinch the match for the Tar Heels.

Featherston and McHale combined earlier in the match to defeat Northwestern’s No. 6 tandem of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton 8-1, winning the first seven games of the doubles match.

The win spurred the Tar Heels to a sweep of the three doubles matches.

“I have a lot of confidence and she does, too, that when the match comes down to it, she’s going to do whatever it takes and compete,” Kalbas said.

Featherston said her singles and doubles victories Friday were not the best she has played this season, but she was happy with her performance.

“I didn’t know if I was going to play ever again, but, just my personality, I felt like I have unfinished business here at UNC and I am just going to give it my all,” Featherston said.

“I think just enjoying tennis right now is really helping me do well and be successful.”

Contact the Sports Editor

at sports@dailytarheel.com.