Talbert eager to embark on junior campaign as part of touted Deacons doubles tandem

Kayla Duncan (left) and Kathryn Talbert (right), seen in this photo taken by Wake Forest University, are the 20^th-ranked doubles team in the country, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Both played their high school tennis in Iredell County.

By: Brian Meadows | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: January 06, 2012

The winter break was a welcome respite for Kathryn Talbert, but the Wake Forest junior is getting antsy.

“It’s been nice,” Talbert said. “But it’s weird not doing anything. Every break I’m always so restless.”

Her free time is winding down.

Classes resume Jan. 18, but the Mooresville native returns to the Winston-Salem campus Saturday to prepare for the dual-match season with the women’s tennis team. The Demon Deacons open 2012 at the University of Virginia Duals, Jan. 14-16.

Talbert (Lake Norman H.S.) and teammate Kayla Duncan (Statesville Christian H.S.), a native of Winston-Salem, are No. 20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s first rankings of the new year.

They were No. 7 in the fall preseason poll.

“I was a little disappointed to see we fell back to 20,” said Talbert, a five-star recruit coming out of high school who captured the 3A state singles championship as a senior. “We had a good fall. I think we did some great things.”

The Wake Forest tandem finished the fall at 9-3, winning the UVA Fall Invitational and reaching the semifinals of the ITA Carolina Regional.

Duncan and Talbert were among 20 doubles teams selected to compete in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships in November.

They split two matches at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

“Making it to national indoors is such a big deal … and we just had a really disappointing first round there,” Talbert said. “We knew we could’ve done more. That’s what spring is for. We’ll do it then.”

Last spring, Talbert and Duncan became the first Wake Forest doubles team since 2002 to reach the second round of the NCAA Doubles Championships before losing 7-5, 6-3 to California’s top-seeded duo. Their 16-9 record included a pair of victories over opponents ranked among the country’s top 10.

Qualifying for the NCAA Championships again and putting together a tournament run is a goal. Ultimately, they want to finish among the top 10 in the nation and garner All-American status.

“We can play with anyone and we know that,” Talbert said. “It’s Kayla’s senior year. This is really when we’ve got to bang it out.”

Talbert hopes to be 100 percent.

That means avoiding another bout with shin splints, a recurring problem she encountered again in September.

Talbert feels a strengthening regimen during the fall rehabilitated her legs.

“So far, so good,” said the communications major. “I’m just crossing my fingers because with shin splints, they can come back at any time. You don’t really know.”

As a team, Wake Forest finished 6-16 overall last year. It lost all 11 of its matches in the ACC, the “toughest conference in the nation,” according to Talbert.

The quest to improve begins next week in Charlottesville, Va. The Demon Deacons return to host a doubleheader Jan. 22 against Georgia State and Winthrop.

The Wake Forest Tennis Center, a state-of-the-art complex christened last summer with the ATP’s Winston-Salem Open, is adjacent to the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center and also serves as home to the university’s men’s and women’s tennis teams.

“It’s unbelievable,” marveled Talbert. “We’re really excited to play on the courts.”