2021 NCAA Championships: Best of Media Day

Tuesday was Media Day at the 2021 NCAA Championships, ahead of the women's and men's quarterfinals at the USTA National Campus. Tournament action in Orlando, Fla., began on Sunday, with women's Round of 16 action, followed by the men's last 16 on Monday. 

Round of 16 recap: Duke women, Georgia and USC men spring upsets

Ahead of the quarterfinals—with the women's slate set for Wednesday and the men on tap for Thursday—the head coach and a key player from each remaining team addressed the media in virtual press conferences from the Campus.

Brian Kalbas, head coach of the undefeated No. 1 seed North Carolina women

On managing a uniquely large and talented roster of 13 women, including three fifth-year seniors and three freshmen...

The team has handled it extremely well. It’s the most unselfish, most team-first group I’ve ever had. I feel like I’m not handling it real well, just because I’m trying to make everybody happy and I know I’m not going to please everybody.

I really wish that in collegiate tennis you could have a couple substitutions and give opportunities like they do in other sports, but unfortunately we don’t have that opportunity.

Since [ITA National] Indoors, we have not played the same lineup. We’ve had a next-up mentality with each player being ready to go. We’ve played different singles lineups, we’ve played different doubles lineups, and everybody’s contributed. It’s been a real team effort throughout the year. We feel very confident that whoever’s out there is competitively and mentally ready to go.

Sam Riffice, Florida junior and captain

On the Gators' depth…

I think college tennis is won in the lineup spots four through six, and we have the best four through six in the country, I believe. Those guys, every match, they come out there and they barely lose, they barely lose sets.

Katarina Jokic, Georgia senior

On her interaction with freshman teammate Lea Ma during their Round of 16 win over UVA…

Lea usually doesn’t show much emotion, which it totally fine—we’re used to it, and that’s who she is. But seeing her yesterday double fist-pumping and looking at me, cheering for me, it was incredible.  My favorite part of my match was when it was close in the third set, she looked at me and she goes, “Let’s go Kat.” And I was like, “OK, we got this.”

Simon Earnshaw, head coach of the No. 6 seed North Carolina State women

On the benefits of playing a tough ACC schedule throughout the spring, with four ACC teams reaching the NCAA final eight...

I think that can go both ways, actually. Hopefully strength in numbers will raise everybody up. But you can also just cannibalize each other in a way, because you’re running the gauntlet that has been the ACC the last couple years.

Michael Woodson, head coach of the No. 2 seed Baylor men

On playing TCU for what will be the fourth time this season, in the NCAA quarterfinals...

For us, we’ve seen it all [with TCU]. We’ve won the doubles point and lost, we’ve lost the doubles point and won against this team, and we’ve won the doubles point and won. So it’s basically been all the different paths against this team in three different venues. So we understand what to expect and feel that we’re going to be ready for the challenge.

Howard Joffe, head coach of the No. 2 seed Texas women

On working with a performance coach…

We have a performance coach that works with our ladies, and he really changed the way that I view things. He came and spoke to our ladies, just conceptually about how performance works…

In recent years, [the science has] changed, to suggest the following: There’s two different systems working with all of us. One is the brain and the other is our bodies.

The way he described it to our ladies is that the brain is the ‘rider’ and the body is the ‘horse.’ How many parents or frustrated coaches have said, 'I just told her there’s no pressure, relax, go enjoy yourself.' And the rider knows it, but the horse is yelping and screaming.

A lot of what we’ve done with the players is getting them in tune with what their body is feeling and what their body is telling them. I think that’s where a lot of tennis is played. On the tennis court, it’s gritty, it’s guttural—it’s what the players are really feeling.