The old adage, “There is no ‘I’ in team” rings true for the North Carolina women’s tennis team.
While much of the spotlight has been on freshman Jamie Loeb recently after she was named the No. 1 player in the country, Loeb says her teammates play a great role in the Tar Heels’ continued success.
And they did this weekend, as the Tar Heels picked up a 6-1 win and 7-0 win against Boston College and N.C. State on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
“I really enjoy the support, because you don’t really get that in juniors or in the pros”, she said. “Having Hayley (Carter) and Whitney (Kay) next to me, seeing them compete every point makes me want to win every point because I just want to obviously help the team out, and I think everyone is pushing each other. So I think having that motivation helps.”
Both Loeb and fellow freshman Carter have received a great deal of publicity — Loeb was honored during the UNC-Duke men’s basketball game last Thursday — along with their respective rankings of No. 1 and No. 8.
Although the freshmen may be receiving most of the attention, coach Brian Kalbas said his seniors are leaders on the team.
“Our seniors are doing a great job,” Kalbas said. “They set the tone every day in practice. They have come out extra a lot. Laura (Slater) is playing the best tennis of her career, and she is really a force in the doubles. We are getting great leadership out of them. And Tessa (Lyons) is really finding her game now. She is a great fighter and competitor.”
In this weekend’s victories, the Tar Heels played all eight women — two freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and two seniors.
One of those seniors, Tessa Lyons, who won both singles matches this weekend, said she embraces her role as leading the team.
