North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Roach Looking for Another Perfect Ending
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. Tears streaming down her face, Julia Roach couldn’t even look over at Hans Olsen, her coach during her four-year tennis career at NC State.
Roach, not one to reveal too many of her emotions, was overcome by the perfection of the moment Sunday afternoon in her final match at the
Roach was the last Wolfpack player on the court, taking the deciding match of the regular-season finale into three sets against
If Roach won, the Wolfpack would defeat the 19th-ranked Seminoles and win its 15th match of the season. If Roach lost, the team would lose and the perfect moment would be forever ruined. The players traded points evenly until the final game of the third set, when Roach broke Wente’s serve and scored a 6-4 victory.
“It was the perfect situation I still get choked up just thinking about it,” Roach said. “All my teammates were on the sidelines cheering me on. The whole set, I was kind of getting emotional. Looking over at coach, I saw him smiling at me, and it really hit me that [my career here] is coming to an end.”
A perfect ending, for Roach and her team.
“It was probably the best college tennis match I have ever been a part of,” said Olsen. “And it was probably the biggest win we have had during my time here.”
It created a lasting memory of a successful tennis career for the four-year starter and two-time team Most Valuable Player.
“Of all the things I did here in my career, that is the moment that will always stand out the most,” Roach said. “It is the day I will always remember. It made all the hard work, all the effort I put into it worth it.”
The victory earned the Wolfpack (12-9 overall, 5-6 ACC), the eighth-seed in the ACC Tennis Championships, which begin today in Santolo Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The No. 36 Wolfpack takes on ninth-seeded
“We are playing Wake forest again and I am really excited about that,” said Roach, talking about a Demon Deacon team that the Wolfpack defeated 5-2 a week and a half ago. “I think as a team, we are more confident. I think we are all pretty excited going into it and wanting to do some damage.”
Roach (12-9 this season, 56-34 in her career) has been an accomplished player ever since arriving at NC State, after an all-star career at
“I have been coming to NC State football games since I was a little girl, dressed up in cheerleading outfits,” Roach said. “I have been a part of Wolfpack athletics my whole life. There was a time when I was thinking about going somewhere else, but it didn’t last long.
“When I came on my recruiting trip, getting to know the coaches and the players a little bit, I knew it was the perfect place for me.”
She has the second most career wins in NC State women’s tennis history. But Olsen says Roach has added much more than just wins to his program.
“Her integrity has been a wonderful part of our program,” said the seventh-year coach. “It has filtered through to the team. Anybody that knows her, knows that it is her character and morals that really stand out front. Her tennis is great, her leadership is great and she is a really good student. But what she has meant most for our program is character.”
But now, her collegiate career is winding down during one of the busiest times of her life. She’s taking her final semester of classes at NC State, needing only a fall internship to complete her degree in Sports Management. On June 28, she and Albritton are getting married after a one-year engagement.
And sometime in the near future, Roach is going to have to figure out exactly what she wants to do. She’s thinking about becoming a tennis coach. But she also sees the value of stepping away from the game she has lived since she first picked up a racquet at the age of 8.
“I want to do something sports related, but maybe not on the tennis court right now,” Roach said. “It has been my life for so long. It’s hard to imagine life without tennis or athletics. But I think I want to get away from tennis for a while, then get back in it.
“I am excited about different challenges.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
