NICKI JHABVALA

Sports

The final chance

By NICKI JHABVALA | March 30

As North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell sat in front of a horde of reporters Thursday afternoon to speak about her team's upcoming NCAA Final Four bout in Cleveland, it was her players who appeared to be the veterans as they spoke. In her 21st year as head coach at UNC, Hatchell, clad in nothing but Tar Heel apparel, could not suppress an ear-to-ear grin. Her legs shook as she answered every question, constantly fidgeting with the abundance of championship jewelry on her neck and fingers.

Sports

Record crowd unable to faze UNC

By NICKI JHABVALA | January 29

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A sell-out crowd of 17,950 made its way to the Comcast Center to watch the No. 2 North Carolina women's basketball team take on defending champion No. 3 Maryland on Sunday. The crowd was the largest to watch a game in ACC women's basketball history. That's almost 17,950 deafening "boos," 17,950 red glow sticks swaying in the stands and 17,950 sets of arms waving in the air during foul shots. And the Tar Heels seemed to love all of it.

Sports

Tar Heels seeking big-time revenge

By NICKI JHABVALA | January 26

The No. 2-ranked North Carolina women's basketball team had a week off before its rematch against defending champion and No.3-ranked Maryland in College Park on Sunday. So how did they spend their free time? Lifting weights, studying game film, shooting, scrimmaging a male practice team and to keep their legs fresh, taking a couple of days off. "We do things different than most teams," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said after the team's win against N.C. State on Jan. 21.

Sports

Latta shows off range from downtown in win

By NICKI JHABVALA | January 22

In the first four minutes of play of the North Carolina women's basketball team's victory against North Carolina State on Sunday, it seemed UNC point guard Ivory Latta would be relying on her teammates quite a bit. Judging by her performance in the Tar Heels' victory against Connecticut on Jan. 15, fans shouldn't have been worried. The senior point guard picked up two offensive fouls and her team trailed the Wolfpack by four points to open the game. "(Ashley Key) played good defense on me," Latta said. "I just settled down and worked the ball into the post."

Sports

UNC slips by Huskies

By NICKI JHABVALA | January 16

The University of Connecticut women's basketball was described as legendary. Consistent. Confident. But with an 82-76 victory against the Huskies, the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels triumphantly made sure their current claim to fame was upheld - undefeated. "I'm proud of our team," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "We got a long way to go, and we can get a whole lot better than we were out there today, but it is a 'W.' " After what appeared to be the start of a long game for UNC, the Tar Heels (20-0) bounced back from committing 20 first-half turnovers to lead 41-36 at the break.

Sports

Senior O'Reilly juggles busy schedule

By NICKI JHABVALA | November 27

Heather O'Reilly didn't have the typical calm and relaxing Thanksgiving break. After scoring a goal in North Carolina's 6-2 victory against Tennessee in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 18, the senior hopped on a plane to California early the next morning so she could help lead the U.S. National Team to a World Cup berth on Wednesday. Then, she took a flight back to Chapel Hill the next morning, making it just in time for the Tar Heel's usual Thanksgiving feast and for their game against Texas A&M on Saturday.

Sports

Former Tar Heel brings Dorrance's philosophy to foreign sideline

By NICKI JHABVALA | November 20

North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance got to see his coaching influence at work on Saturday - and not just from his players on the field. In the third round of the NCAA Tournament at Fetzer Field, UNC advanced with a 6-2 victory against Tennessee - a team coached by one of Dorrance's former players, Angela Kelly. Kelly wore a Tar Heel jersey from 1991-94 and stayed on as a student assistant coach in 1995.

Sports

UNC shoots out of NCAA tournament gate

By NICKI JHABVALA | November 10

One down, five to go. The UNC women's soccer team entered this season with the same goal the team has every season: a national title. At Fetzer Field on Friday, the Tar Heels passed their first test of the NCAA Tournament and became one step closer to their goal with a 7-0 win against UNC Ashville. "Actually, to be honest, we had an absolutely miserable week of training," UNC coach Anson Dorrance said. "We didn't have much focus in training. What I appreciated, I didn't really think we did that well in the first half either, but in the second half we got things together."

Sports

New book on Dorrance chronicles soccer dynasty

By NICKI JHABVALA | October 24

North Carolina women's soccer player Elizabeth Guess wasn't in the least bit surprised when she read Tim Crothers' book about the team's coach Anson Dorrance. "Not at all!" she said. "I've read the chapter called "Chaos" over and over again. I think it's hysterical, but it doesn't surprise me at all." Senior forward Heather O'Reilly wasn't surprised either. "I read about things that happened 10 or 15 years ago that are pretty funny," she said. "When other people read the book, they think it's ironic, but they're not to us because we experience the same things."

Sports

UNC looks to stay perfect vs. Eagles

By NICKI JHABVALA | October 12

The North Carolina women's soccer program has faced Boston College only five times in its history. But remembering each meeting might conjure up sweet memories for UNC coach Anson Dorrance. The Tar Heels lead the series against BC 5-0. The only time it has hosted its ACC opponent was in 1982. UNC won 7-0. The next year, UNC downed the Eagles 5-2 to spark a 57-game winning streak by the Tar Heels. In 1989, shutout. In 2005, blowout. Today, UNC gets to welcome them once again to Fetzer Field.