Just a few games into singles play, lightning struck and all matches ceased play in Tallahassee. Instead of letting the weather delays distract them, sophomores Jamie Loeb and Hayley Carter benefitted from the interruption.
The No. 2 North Carolina women’s tennis team kept its undefeated streak alive against Florida State on Thursday afternoon, beating the Seminoles 5-2. But the match was interrupted by lengthy delays and a venue change from the outdoor Scott Speicher Tennis Center to FSU’s indoor tennis facilities — almost 30 minutes across town.
The No. 33 pair of Carter and Whitney Kay opened doubles play with an 8-5 victory before the No. 13 team of Jamie Loeb and Caroline Price followed with their own 8-5 win to give the Tar Heels the early 1-0 lead overall. A drizzle of rain stopped doubles play for about five minutes, but more extensive delays were on the way.
Most singles matches were only in the second or third game of the first set when lightning forced officials to move the matches indoors. By the time each team arrived at the indoor tennis facility, they had to warm up again because of the extended break in play that lasted over an hour.
“For me personally, it actually helped a lot,” Carter said of the delays. “Going into singles, I was very nervous. And that break, riding in the car, relaxing and listening to music really calmed me down and helped me get off to a fast start (when singles play resumed).”
Carter, the 17th ranked singles player in the nation, went on to dominate her opponent 6-1, 6-3, and arguably turned in her best match of the season from start to finish. Coach Kalbas highlighted Carter’s performance afterwards.
“Hayley played unbelievable. She kind of set the tone,” said Kalbas. “We moved indoors and her first set might of lasted 10 minutes. It was impressive. She played really aggressive; attacking second serves, and finishing points at the net. I was really pleased to see her do that.”
No. 9 Loeb also got off to a quick start once singles play resumed, taking an immediate 4-1 lead in the first set. Loeb was the first to finish off her opponent in singles play, winning 6-4, 6-3 against FSU’s top-ranked singles player.
“It was a pretty big adjustment, but I got off to a good start after the delay,” Loeb said. “We could have easily lost it if we weren’t prepared to go indoors, or if we had a bad mindset about it. I think we all took it as a positive. It shows that we have a lot of confidence, no matter if we play indoors or outdoors or who we’re playing.”
