The word of the weekend was confidence.
After the UNC women's tennis team suffered a tough 4-3 loss at No. 5 Virginia on Monday, the coaches called a team meeting right before practice. The players gathered on court six in the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The coaches stressed the importance of maintaining composure. Stay present, stay on court so teammates playing beside them don't feel the pressure of the scoreboard.
“If you’re down, you’re not showing it,” senior Lindsay Zink said. "You’re showing confidence, always."
Facing a tough stretch of opponents in the ITA Kickoff, it was this message that resonated with the Tar Heels the most, especially as Zink joined senior Carson Tanguilig in the doubles lineup for the first time since the fall of their first year on the team.
The senior duo clinched the doubles point in both wins for the No. 9 North Carolina women’s tennis team this weekend to secure a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship beginning on Feb. 7 — where UNC has won four of the last five championship titles. The Tar Heels defeated Alabama, 4-1, in the first round on Saturday, then swept Wisconsin, 4-0, on Sunday.
“Lindsay coming in [at] three doubles and playing for the first time was remarkable,” head coach Brian Kalbas said after the match against Alabama. “Two seniors playing [at the] three doubles kind of set the tone for us.”
To start out the match against the Crimson Tide, first-year Alanis Hamilton and junior Reese Brantmeier claimed a quick 6-1 victory for North Carolina on court one.
Then, on court three, the newly-paired senior doubles duo was dominating, winning five straight set points.
The two entered the match with opposite levels of experience. Zink appeared in one singles match last season and zero doubles matches. Tanguilig won the 2023 NCAA doubles title and was named to the All-ACC Doubles First Team last year.