'The team to beat': UNC women's tennis secures third straight ITA title

Winning a national championship is the ultimate goal in sports, but getting to the mountain top in any year is difficult.

Winning two in a row? Even harder.

But three straight? Nearly impossible.

Yet, the North Carolina women’s tennis team achieved the unthinkable last week, earning its third straight ITA national championship with a 4-2 win over Oklahoma. In the process, the Tar Heels cemented their name among the best programs in the country, becoming just the second team ever to complete an ITA three-peat.

Leading up to the championship match, UNC faced an exhausting task in competing for four consecutive days. This was something the team never did before — and a step up from last season.

“Last year we only played three days, so this year was really challenging," head coach Brian Kalbas said.

En route to the championship game, battles against conference foes Virginia and N.C. State pushed the Tar Heels to the brink of elimination. UVA’s tenacious play helped the Wahoos pick up the doubles point while N.C. State’s vocal leadership seemed to have the Tar Heels off their game.

After initial setbacks, impressive performances by first-year Carson Tanguilig and sophomore Fiona Crawley helped propel UNC into the final. 

“(Carson and Fiona) are unreal at tennis,” junior Elizabeth Scotty said. “They’re a lock at four and five (on the team). They’re not going to take losses.”

The young stars did just that, as they were undefeated in their singles matches in both the quarter and semifinals.

By the finals last Monday, only one team stood between North Carolina and history: the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners. Despite their inferior ranking, the Sooners came into the match two days removed from their upset win over top-ranked Texas.

For UNC, the championship game couldn’t have started any worse.

No. 1 Scotty and Crawley’s shocking loss in the doubles round helped OU earn the first point of the match, leaving Kalbas and company rattled. 

“It was a battle mentally,” Tanguilig said. “It wasn’t our best showing in the doubles point, but we knew we could be six lines deep in singles.” 

Crawley and Scotty bounced back from their upset loss, as both won their singles matches in two sets and earned two team points.

But while the highly touted pair returned to the status quo, the rest of the team continued to struggle. 

After dropping four first sets, Kalbas knew only the grittiest of performances could save his team — something he wasn't sure the Tar Heels had due to their inexperience.

“We lost three super seniors from last year,” Kalbas said. “We were still ranked pretty high, but that was because of last year’s team. This year, we hadn’t been tested.”

For a moment, it appeared North Carolina might fail its first test, but six second-set wins helped ignite the Tar Heel attack to a 3-2 lead heading into the final two contests. 

As time trickled down, back-and-forth duels seemed to favor the crimson and cream.

“When the games started to tick away in Oklahoma’s favor, I got so nervous,” Scotty said. “I was so nervous I couldn’t watch.”

The lone glimmer of hope rested on junior Anika Yarlagadda’s court. After dropping her first set, the No. 74 ranked singles player regained traction and set up the Tar Heels with match point. 

With her whole team watching, Yarlagadda’s powerful rallies proved to be the decider, earning UNC the championship-clinching point and sparking her teammates into a court rush.

“It was a surreal and unbelievable feeling,” Tanguilig said. 

With Yarlagadda’s point, the Tar Heels secured their third straight title, and fourth in five years.

For Tanguilig, one thing is certain — the only feeling sweeter than three straight is four.

“We’ve got to stay tough and know that every time we play someone, indoor or outdoor, they're going to bring their best tennis,” she said. “We’re the team to beat.”

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