Claire Hill punches ticket for UNC women's tennis to ACC tournament semifinals

CARY — Three months ago, first-year Claire Hill was thrown “right into the fire” of college tennis.

She didn’t play a collegiate match until January. Hill played in pro tournaments throughout the fall, so she didn’t get to practice with the Tar Heels or play at the college level until the spring. She has spent one semester at North Carolina. But she earned a spot as UNC’s No. 6 seed. Then, she was hurled into her first start in a ranked matchup against Virginia only four matches into the spring season. 

It didn’t go well. She fell in a third set and cost North Carolina the match. She felt like she let her entire team down. 

Contrast that to Friday afternoon: Hill made her first start in an ACC tournament match and clinched No. 2 seed North Carolina’s 4-0 victory over seventh-seeded Stanford in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The first-year defeated Stanford fifth-year Chidimma Okpara at Cary Tennis Park, 6-3, 6-4. 

“At the very beginning of the season, I was still trying to figure things out and adjust,” Hill said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more confidence from [January] to [now].” 

On that fateful day in January, UNC was tied 3-3 with then-No. 9 UVA. On court six in Charlottesville, Hill had won the first set. She had match point in the second set and needed just one more push to bring it home for her new team. 

Instead, she lost that point. Then, she lost the set in a tiebreaker. Next, she lost the match entirely. 

Senior Lindsay Zink ran up to her and wrapped her in a hug. Zink told her she knew what this moment felt like. Everyone goes through this in college tennis. But Hill had to know it’s a team effort, and the sole blame can’t rest on the first-year’s shoulders. 

Eventually, it started to hurt less. 

“It was really disappointing, but I feel like that just made me stronger,” Hill said. “Having that experience helped me in the future.” 

The coaching staff kept Hill in the lineup. She’s started in all but two ACC matchups, mainly as the No. 6. But since that match in January, she had to learn to trust herself more so that the next time the Tar Heels called on her, she would be ready.    

“Her confidence has grown a lot,” senior Carson Tanguilig said. “The way she carries herself, her confidence in her game, as well as giving us presence on the court. It’s kind of tough at six. There’s people fighting for your spot. But she’s learned how to deal with that as well.”

And North Carolina needed her on Friday. 

She was the only one left on court who could still win in straight sets. Fellow first-year Alanis Hamilton had just lost her first set in a tiebreaker. Junior Reese Brantmeier lost her first, too, but forced a third. Same for sophomore Tatum Evans. 

UNC was one singles win away from advancing to the semifinals, but most Tar Heels were playing with their backs against the wall. 

So they turned to Hill. 

And there was no better place for Hill to clinch than in Cary. She grew up on the courts of Cary Tennis Park. She lives half a mile from them. Her parents are a five minute drive away. Her friends came out to watch her compete. 

Okpara tied it at 3-3 in the second set with an ace — an aspect of the Cardinal’s game she had been struggling with. Hill didn’t panic. She focused on hitting her targets. She attacked Okpara’s weaker forehand. 

And once she grabbed the breakpoint with an ace to take a 4-3 lead, Hill never relented. The clinch came soon after. 

The Virginia match showed her how difficult it is to close matches out, head coach Brian Kalbas said, but what she learned from it was exemplified on Friday. 

“She was really tough physically, mentally, strategically — just made a lot of balls and made that girl uncomfortable,” Kalbas said. “Claire played as good as a match she’s played, start to finish.”

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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