UNC women's tennis 'loses the ego' and punches ticket to ITA National Indoors

Before Jessie Aney’s junior season, she and head coach Brian Kalbas had what many outsiders would consider a tough conversation. 

Up until then, Aney had spent most of her time competing on Court 3 — and she hadn't lost a singles match in ACC dual matches.

As a sophomore, specifically, Aney finished ranked No. 39 in singles and was half of a top-5 doubles team in the country. Her 37 singles victories are still tied for the most in program history by a sophomore.

But an incoming influx in talent in 2017, which included a top recruit in Alle Sanford, required Aney's role on the team to shift. And Kalbas told her that. 

Instead of sulking, instead of folding, Aney rose to the challenge. She said that she’d play — and win — anywhere her team needed her.

So on Sunday afternoon, when the North Carolina women’s tennis team punched its ticket to ITA National Team Indoor Championships after a 4-0 win over Princeton in the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, Aney walked off an unfamiliar court with a familiar result: a 6-1, 6-2 win on Court 6.

“I think it’s the same,” the senior said of her familiar contribution in her new role. “Whenever you're out on the court, it's a chance to compete, and I just kind of savor that.”

Despite what the score would suggest, No. 3 UNC's afternoon wasn't a cakewalk. As a team, the underdog Princeton Tigers entered the matchup with nothing to lose, and they came out firing because of it. 

All three doubles matches, including Aney and sophomore Alle Sanford’s on Court 2, were never separated by more than two games. 

Aney and Sanford finished first with a 6-4 victory. Junior Makenna Jones and first-year Cameron Morra clinched the match’s doubles point with a 6-4 win on Court 1 minutes later.

“I love playing with Alle,” Aney said. “I know I played against her my junior year, and she was like one of my least favorite people ever to play against, so I know what she can do on the court. And when I'm playing with her, I know what kind of shots she comes up with on big points, and it's fun.”

In singles, the Tigers didn’t lay down, either. The Tar Heels won four of the six first sets, but two matches were forced to go into third sets.

Aney finished her singles match first, and Sanford followed up the senior's work with a 6-4, 6-1 win on Court 5. No. 2 Jones ended up clinching the match with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on Court 1.

“Yesterday was (Princeton’s) first match, and they didn't play very well in doubles,” Kalbas said. “Today they played extremely well in doubles, and we had to kind of battle through some difficult times. Give our team credit. We stepped up.”

Kalbas said post-match that his team’s depth, like it has been for his teams throughout his 16-year tenure at UNC, will be a virtue as the season continues. And Aney’s willingness to lead from anywhere is key to making it work.

“Whether you play six or one, every point is the same,” Kalbas said. "She's willing to play whatever position and do what's best for the team. I think this year she's really committed and dedicated to have her best season as a senior, so she's excited about it."

Before every season, typically right before winter break, Kalbas assigns his team a book to read, and throughout the season, a different player, from youngest to oldest, will present on each chapter. 

The team’s book title this year? "Ego is the Enemy."

“We’re trying to really learn how to lose that ego,” Jones said. “All of us know that we’re competing for the same goal, and like I said, we’re all close in level, so I think that makes our team a little more special.”

In less than two weeks, North Carolina will be in Seattle, defending its ITA Indoor National title from 2018. For Aney, this will be her fourth time in as many years in the tournament. 

And she’ll be happy to play at whatever position her team needs her.

“I love playing tennis and I love competing,” Aney said. “So it doesn't really matter where I am.”

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