For 16 years, North Carolina women's tennis head coach Brian Kalbas has seen seniors come in and out of his program — some of whom, perhaps, are among the most gifted athletes to ever rep a Tar Heel emblem.
He’s done it before — so many times. And yet, as he said after his team’s 7-0 win over No. 22 Wake Forest on Senior Day on Sunday afternoon, it’s never easy.
“As our players can attest, the years fly by,” Kalbas said. “And the four years fly by so fast that, you know, I can remember yesterday recruiting both of those players.”
This year’s Senior Day at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center marked the beginning of the end of the collegiate careers of Jessie Aney and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer. Before the game, the two Tar Heels were honored for what they’ve accomplished: Aney has the fourth-most singles wins in program history; Ouellet-Pizer has the 10th-most.
Their accomplishments only tell part of the story, though. Their lasting legacies shine because of what they’ve done outside of the spotlight.
It hasn’t always been easy. Aney, after her first two years of dominating on Court 3 for the Tar Heels, now regularly plays on Court 6.
Ouellet-Pizer, similarly, had her own set of frustrations to work through earlier this year, after falling out of the team’s top six. Midway through the season, Kalbas noticed that his team’s captain stopped coming in for extra practice reps throughout the week.
“She was just kind of resigned to the fact that, ‘You know what, I’ve had a good career. I’m not going to be necessarily needed,’” Kalbas said. “And I told her, ‘Look, I know how good you can be, and I know how much you mean to this team. I need you to not be resigned that your season, that your career, is over because this team needs you.'
“And I’m telling you right now, she’s embraced it.”
