This fall, many first-year students at UNC are finding themselves adjusting to college life after a year and a half of online learning. Carson Tanguilig and Lindsay Zink are no exception.
These two, however, also have individual tennis lessons multiple times a week, daily team practice, lifting sessions and yoga. Not to mention meetings with the sports psychologist to prepare for tournaments.
Tanguilig and Zink are the only first-years on the UNC women’s tennis team. It has barely been two months since they’ve moved onto campus, but the pair is already making an impact on the program.
With three invitationals each, Tanguilig and Zink have a combined 12 singles and 10 doubles wins so far on the season. Despite their early success, they both said the adjustment to college-level play did not come easily.
“Every match you play is at a high level,” Tanguilig said. “There’s nobody that fades away. The first two weeks of practice felt so fast at first.”
Tanguilig and Zink were already accustomed to playing at a high level. Both players were ranked in the top 40 at one point in the 2021 recruiting class, with Zink ranking as high as No. 40 and Tanguilig as high as No. 14. In juniors, Tanguilig won three grade 4 doubles titles and has reached the doubles final of the Pan American ITF Championship. Zink reached the semifinals of the 2021 ITA Summer Circuit event in Blacksburg, Va.
Despite their huge levels of success in high school, coming into a program like UNC’s can still prove challenging for even the most talented players.
“For first-years, it’s tough when you come into an established or successful team,” head coach Brian Kalbas said. “But they’ve done an incredible job of fitting in really well. They’re two really hard workers."
As they move forward in the season, both players are looking to build on their strengths and fill in individual areas for improvement.
