Undefeated women's tennis embraces the pressure in wins over Louisville and Notre Dame

The No. 1 North Carolina women’s tennis team is embracing the pressure of a perfect record. 

Against Louisville and No. 14 Notre Dame, the Tar Heels added two more wins to their resume this weekend, besting the Cardinals 6-1 and the Fighting Irish 7-0. 

Every UNC player handles the pressure differently, but there is a clear consensus: the pressure is a testament to their ability, not a hindrance. 

As the No. 1 singles player in the nation, junior Fiona Crawley said she's focused on staying at the top.

“Pressure is a privilege,” she said after Friday's victory over Louisville. 

Sophomore Carson Tanguilig said she splits the season into three parts — indoors, conference and the postseason. Starting the conference season on Feb. 24 hit the reset button, so rather than carrying the burden of an 18-0 overall record, the team is only 4-0 in her mind. 

In the doubles match-up against Louisville on Friday, Crawley and Tanguilig faced a battle against Cardinal junior Sasha Gorchanyuk and senior Maria Campos. Some of the pressure weighing on the Tar Heels was evident.  

The No. 4 duo got off to a slow start, finding themselves in a 0-2 hole early in the set. The combination of Crawley’s uncharacteristic double fault while serving and Tanguilig’s missed volleys put the doubles team behind in the opening games of the match. 

Tanguilig said the pair focused on doubles skills this week in practice, so they were thinking too much and falling flat on match day. Crawley added that she gets in her head during doubles because she always wants to play as well as she can for her teammate.

The duo won the next five games, which they credited to playing with more confidence.

“It was more of getting back to basics and discipline, making returns, being ready at the net, moving and being active,” Kalbas said. “And then, ultimately, we started being more aggressive and playing more on our terms – consistently and playing with more purpose.”

With the shift in mentality, the doubles team pulled away with a 6-3 victory, officially clinching the doubles point in favor of the Tar Heels.

In the team’s next doubles match on Sunday, Kalbas said the group played their best doubles game all season. All three doubles teams swept Notre Dame, with Crawley and Tanguilig crushing the Fighting Irish 6-2. 

Even with the early success in doubles, the singles matches this weekend were another test for the top team in the country – another chance for pressure to boil over. But, for the experienced North Carolina team, senior Elizabeth Scotty said they are used to being on top and know how to handle it. 

Anika Yarlagadda, the team’s No. 7,  does not play in the starting line every match. But, against Notre Dame, the Michigan native took her spot at court six for the fourth time and for her ninth start this season.  

In a back-and-forth contest, Yarlagadda and Notre Dame first-year Akari Matsuno were tied 4-4 in the second set after Yarlagadda scraped by with a 6-3 win in the first. Struggling against Matsuno’s hard and fast returns, the UNC senior had to resist the urge to hit back harder and, instead, focus on holding her ground, changing the pace and not giving in to frustration. 

“Finish it,” Kalbas told Yarlagadda during the match.

Winning the fifth game not only broke the tie, but it enabled Yarlagadda to finally put away her match 6-3, 6-4. The pressure is always there for the North Carolina senior when she starts, but she views every match as an opportunity to get better. 

For her, the key to embracing the pressure is staying present and enjoying the moment. 

“I look at the people around me,” she said. “We're all doing this together, and we can only do it for so long.”

@carolinewills03

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