Chloe Ouellet-Pizer discovers aggression in UNC women's tennis win

Chloe Ouellet-Pizer has been working on her aggression.

On Sunday, it showed.

When the No. 5 North Carolina women’s tennis swept No. 9 Texas A&M 4-0 on Sunday, Ouellet-Pizer used her extra practice to step up for her team.

“Even the two days we had off in the last week, she’s been out here hitting for two to three hours extra on her own,” Coach Brian Kalbas said. “So she’s doing a lot of work that nobody really sees that’s really paying off.”

The first-year won her doubles match to lock in the first point of the day and clinched a swift win in the singles to give UNC a 2-0 lead.

Senior doubles partner Ashley Dai said it was Ouellet-Pizer’s reliability that allowed the two to click.

“I know exactly what she’s going to do, not all the time but most of the time ...” Dai said. “We have each other’s backs.”

Following Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay’s doubles win, Ouellet-Pizer and Dai secured the doubles point for the Tar Heels. The win set the tone in UNC’s favor.

But before singles play even started, that tone risked turning.

Two of the three officials did not show up to the meet on time. Kalbas said the 45 minute delay posed a distraction that could have thrown off his team’s momentum.

But Ouellet-Pizer did not let that happen.

She defeated her opponent in less than an hour to give North Carolina a 2-0 edge. Ouellet-Pizer said she felt like she was “in a groove,” as she only gave up two games.

“I would have like three games in a row where I like wouldn’t lose a point,” Ouellet-Pizer said. “Like it was weird.”

During practice, Kalbas said he has worked with Ouellet-Pizer to develop her aggression. Based on her hard work in practice and in her free time, Ouellet-Pizer was primed for success Sunday.

“I love that she’s also being more aggressive now and using that forehand to really get around it and move people, because I know she can chase things down,” Dai said. “I’ve seen it. I’ve played against it.”

Ouellet-Pizer said after all the hours she spent practicing, she could feel the difference in her play, saying she felt more explosive.

“My strategy was sort of to go hard into the corners and especially into her forehand because she likes to attack (the ball),” Ouellet-Pizer said. “I was just looking for the right shot and then trying also to not slap and be impatient.”

In the last point of the game, she found that shot.

To claim UNC’s first singles win, Ouellet-Pizer rallied a hard forehand cross-court that landed in the back corner inches from the line. The shot went untouched.

“It’s one thing to get momentum, but it’s another thing to keep it,” Kalbas said. “And Chloe did a really good job.”

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