How do you move on from losing perhaps the greatest athlete in the history of your program?
That’s what Brian Kalbas, head coach of the North Carolina women’s tennis team, will have to figure out this season after the graduation of four-time All-American Hayley Carter.
Over the course of her illustrious career, Carter won the most singles matches in ACC history, was the first Tar Heel to ever be named All-American four straight years and made the NCAA singles finals.
“Hayley’s broken every record in the book…” Kalbas said after Carter broke the all-time record for ACC singles wins. “You can’t replace her. She’s just one of those special people.”
While the reigning conference champions might not be able to replace Carter’s individual dominance, the Tar Heels will turn to a talented newcomer and experienced returners to continue the momentum Carter helped build for the program.
The 2018 edition of the Tar Heels have the potential to do so. They will begin the season as the fifth-ranked team in the country.
Breakout first-year Alle Sanford is the ninth-ranked player in the country and will join nationally-ranked returners Makenna Jones, Jessie Aney, Sara Daavettila and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer.
Sanford seems poised to take over the top spot from Carter. Though only a first-year, the Westerville, Ohio native has already proved herself against top national competition. In September, she won the Oracle ITA Masters. In the finals, she beat defending champion Ena Shibahara from UCLA.
In November, Sanford advanced to the quarterfinals of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, notching three top-40 wins along the way before eventually falling to No. 3 Andrea Lazaro of Florida International.
