GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Fresh off the ITA National Team Indoor Championship title run, North Carolina freshman Whitney Kay has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
Kay won three singles matches, including the clinching victory in two, as No. 8 North Carolina won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the first time in school history. All three of Kay's singles wins came from the No. 3 position.
Kay started her run with a win over No. 19 Zoe Scandalis from No. 4 USC, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, in the final match to lift the Tar Heels over the Trojans, 4-3, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 9.
The next day, Kay took down Duke's No. 40 Ester Goldfeld, 6-4, 7-5, to help North Carolina top the No. 3 Blue Devils, 4-0, in the semifinals and earn a berth in the championship match against No. 2 UCLA.
Against the Bruins and with the team score tied at three points apiece, Kay won the tiebreaker in the deciding match, besting No. 96 Pamela Montez, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5), and giving the Tar Heels the title.
Overall, along with wins over three top-five teams, the Tar Heels also defeated No. 13 Texas A&M on the first day of competition during its title run.
Carolina (9-0) returns to action Monday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. against Florida.
