Lyons, Slater play final women's tennis home match

The No. 3 North Carolina women’s tennis team had one thing on its mind entering Sunday’s match against the Maryland Terrapins — win for the seniors.

Seniors Tessa Lyons and Laura Slater took center stage at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center as the Tar Heels (22-3, 11-1 ACC) celebrated the duos’ four years in a UNC uniform with a 6-1 victory on senior day.

“Today was very emotional for me, because I have never known North Carolina without Laura and Tessa,” said junior Caroline Price. “It hit me right before doubles that this might be one of the last matches I’m playing next to them.

“That was emotional for me, so I was trying to go out and take care of business and play for my seniors because I love them so much.”

Lyons and Slater opened the afternoon on outdoor court No. 3, where they were paired up for doubles for the first time since January.

Slater said they had been struggling to get in a rhythm during practice, but their play on Sunday was as fine-tuned as the strings of their rackets. The twosome strung together a 7-3 lead, which elicited a “Let’s go seniors,” cheer from the crowd.

They proceeded to sweep the final game to win the first doubles match for the Tar Heels and concluded the match with a warm embrace.

“We just had a lot of fun,” Slater said. “We got the emotions out early on, and I’m sure there will be more later on. But it was just really calm and very enjoyable to play that doubles together today.”

The win set the tone for the team as the freshman tandem of Jamie Loeb and Hayley Carter sealed the doubles point shortly after with an 8-1 win.

The two parted ways for singles but were side by side on courts No. 5 and No. 6.

On No. 5, Lyons jumped out to an early 4-1 lead that was followed with a boisterous “C’mon” that echoed across the complex. Lyons said she didn’t want the festivities to serve as a distraction from the task at hand.

“You can get wrapped up in it,” Lyons said. “I just tried to take it as any other match and really focus on what I’ve done all season long, what I’ve done for the past three years and just use that and not let the other things get in the way.”

Lyons fell behind 1-3 in the second set but bottled her energy and reeled off four straight games on her way to a 7-5 win that was met with hugs from her younger teammates.

With the Tar Heels up 6-0 after victories on the other courts, the spotlight fell on Slater, who was playing in only her second ACC singles match of the season.

After she lost the first set on a tiebreaker, Slater jumped out to a 4-1 lead. The lead evaporated in the blink of an eye as she dropped the next four games.

Slater wasn’t going to be denied the win on this day, her day, and continued to fight back. After falling behind 0-30, she tied the game at deuce. Three times she would gain the advantage, and three times she would lose it.

With her teammates lined up to her left, Slater continued to scratch and claw, but it wasn’t enough, as her opponent would clinch the match on her first ad point and Maryland‘s only victory on the day. Slater grabbed a ball and smashed it into the wall behind her in disappointment before being consoled by Price.

Although he wished both seniors won, Kalbas said their effort Sunday was only a small sample size of what they have brought to the team his season.

“It’s so special to see two seniors give so much at the end of their careers,” Kalbas said. “You see so many other programs and so may other players that, once they become seniors, it doesn’t mean as much and they don’t give that extra effort.

“We’ve prided ourselves and our program of playing your best tennis at the end of your career, your senior year, and they both have done that.”