When Lucy Carpenter arrived at Loyola all the way from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, she did so as the highest-rated tennis recruit in the history of the program and was being reunited with her high school coach, Matthew Llewellyn, as the program looked to reach new heights.
“Before coaching at Loyola, I had a unique opportunity to coach Lucy as a junior player and have known her since she was 13 years old,” Llewellyn said. “She was always a great competitor with huge potential, and she’s one of the strongest, most genuine people I know.”
Carpenter lived up to her lofty billing and expectations the moment she stepped on the court for the Wolf Pack, winning Southern States Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, first team All-Conference, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Second Team All-American, and reached the highest singles ranking for any Loyola tennis player in program history (no. 8).
“It’s such an honor to be a part of so many big moments for this program,” Carpenter said. “I really love this school and it feels really good to do things that no one has done here before, so I’m proud of that. I love the community here and it’s really fun to do it for them.”
Carpenter recorded more program milestones her sophomore season, becoming the first women’s player in Loyola history to win SSAC Player of the Year, along with Scholar-Athlete of the Year, first-team All-Conference, and NAIA Second Team All-American, and finished the season on a 10 match winning streak.
“It was awesome to win that award,” said Carpenter. “That was a really good season for me, and my goal is to do it again this year. It was really cool to be the first to do it at Loyola too. And I don’t usually care about personal or individual awards, but it was cool to get it and be the person that was able to put a light on my great teammates as well.”
In her junior season, Carpenter was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year again, along with her third consecutive first-team All-Conference nod and leading the Wolf Pack to their first conference final in program history.
“That was a really special moment because we had lost to Mobile earlier in the season,” said Carpenter. “I consider my teammates my family. We were fortunate to not lose any girls from last year’s team, just add new girls to this year’s team, so we’ve all been able to get really close over the past couple of years and we want to get back there and win this time.”
And her accomplishments haven’t been confined to singles play, as she and Fatima Vasquez have combined to form one of the best doubles teams in the nation, posting a 41-14 record in all competitions, (37-7 against NAIA opponents) an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Gulf Regional Championship, and an NAIA national ranking as high as tenth.
“Lucy has been an exceptional teammate and doubles partner, contributing greatly to our chemistry on and off the court,” said Vasquez. “Her dedication to improvement has set a high standard for the team, inspiring us to keep improving. Having her as a teammate and doubles partner for the past four years has been an enriching experience.”
And as Carpenter plays through her senior season, she’s focused on making it a memorable one.
“One of my biggest motivations in life and in tennis is to be able to win with and for this team, so even though I graduated in December, this is still technically my senior season, and I get to come back and play next year, which I’m looking forward to.”
