UNC women's basketball's Alyssa Ustby battled back from injury for another chance to play at home

Senior night was "heartbreaking" for Alyssa Ustby. 

The graduate forward was ruled out with a lower body injury and forced to miss the last regular season home game of her career. 

“I was so upset that I didn't get to play on the court that I've poured so much into for the last five years,” Ustby said. 

Forced to watch from the sidelines, North Carolina fell to Virginia, 78-75, in its regular season finale. A painful conclusion to her historic career in Chapel Hill. But deep down, Ustby knew it wouldn’t be the last time. The opportunity for the Tar Heels to clinch a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament offered one more chance for Ustby to take the floor in Carmichael Arena, and receive the curtain call she earned. 

So, she made sure of it. 

“That drove a lot of my recovery process,” Ustby said. “I wanted to get back as fast as I could from injury just to help my team make sure that we secured that opportunity for a host so that I could play on that Carmichael court again.” 

Now, with No. 3 North Carolina set to face 14th-seeded Oregon State Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Ustby has earned the opportunity for a redo finale in Chapel Hill.

Ustby missed the last four games of the regular season for North Carolina. Alongside her, starting sophomore guard Reniya Kelly also missed a three-game stretch. The injuries forced the Tar Heels to go deep into their bench. They lost both games without the pair. 

“Those games were challenging when they weren't [playing],” graduate guard Lexi Donarski said. “[We were] just playing for them because we know that they still want us to succeed even though they can't be out on the court with us and just making it through each game until they're back with us, which thankfully they both are now.”

When Ustby returned just in time for the ACC tournament, UNC was on the brink of losing it’s top-four seed and the opportunity of hosting the first two March Madness rounds. Ustby knew the urgency of performing well in the ACC tournament in order for there to be no doubt on where North Carolina stood come Selection Sunday. 

That’s why, after cruising past Boston College in the second round, Ustby played 36 minutes to help UNC get past Florida State in the quarterfinals. She posted a monster box score of 12 points and 18 rebounds, to lead the Tar Heels in both categories. 

“It's a main reason she came back so fast from being sidelined was that the opportunity to give it back on the court a few more times,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. 

Her performance was enough to advance UNC to the ACC semifinals, and comfortably secure Carmichael Arena as a host site for the NCAA tournament.

A location where she will play an integral part in UNC’s March Madness success over the next few days. And where she'll receive the chance for a proper send-off. 

“This is the house that she's rebuilt in a lot of ways,” Banghart said. “To not have her name announced on Senior Night was really hard, but then hearing her ovation at the ACC Tournament, I won't forget it. She deserved it. I know there will be a lot of people that are so grateful for what she's given to this court over her five-year tenure.”

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