2016 Softball Season in Review
June 30, 2016 | Softball
2016 In Review
The 2016 Tar Heels traded in some of its power for speed, keeping All-American slugger Kristen Brown in the lineup but adding the likes of freshman speed demon Destiny DeBerry to the basepaths. After drilling a program-record 92 home runs but stealing just 29 bases in 2015, the Tar Heels continued to use the long ball, finishing fourth in the ACC with 58 homers, but broke the all-time record with 102 stolen bases as a team in 2016.
UNC dealt with adversity early, losing returning starter Sydney Matzko to a season-ending injury in late February, leaving Kendra Lynch as the sole starter on the roster. The junior stepped up in a major way, breaking four single-season records, ranking seventh in the nation in wins (28), and earning First-Team All-ACC honors.
Freshmen DeBerry and Berlynne Delamora earned consistent starting roles on the left side of the diamond, and everything started to come together as March came to a close. Sitting at 15-17 after dropping all three games to eventual National Semifinalist then-No. 11 Florida State, with postseason hopes all but gone, the Tar Heels used a midweek win over USC Upstate, who received votes in ESPN.com's final poll, to kick-start a late season resurgence.
The Tar Heels continued the homestand by winning two-of-three against Louisville, ranked No. 25 by ESPN.com, and finished the regular season by winning 15 of the final 20 games, including a series victory over No. 18 Notre Dame and an extra-innings win at No. 10 Georgia. The late winning streak propelled the Heels to a favorable seed for the ACC Tournament, where they shut out Boston College to advance to the Semifinals, and to what once seemed highly unlikely—a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history in 2016, claiming the #2-seed at the Harrisonburg Regional and headed to No. 7 overall seed JMU along with Longwood and Princeton.
After falling behind, 4-0, early to Longwood in the NCAA opener, the Tar Heels rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth, then Kristen Brown hit a walk-off two-run home run—her ACC-record 66th—in the bottom of the seventh to propel the Heels into the winner's bracket.
A few costly mistakes hurt the Heels against the host Dukes, as a first-inning grand slam gave JMU all the run support Jailyn Ford would need and a three-run blast in the sixth ended the game, 10-1, in the Dukes' favor.
UNC found itself in a tight battle with Longwood later that evening, surrendering an early 3-0 lead to end up in extras, and a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth sent the Lancers to their first NCAA Regional Final in program history and ended Carolina's season.
The Tar Heels have advanced to the national postseason all-but-three years (2002, 2011, 2014) since its first berth in 2001. UNC has been selected as a host twice, in 2008 and 2009.
Carolina is now 15-24 all time in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels have reached the Regional Final game four times (2005, 2009, 2010, 2012), but have never advanced to Super Regionals.
In 2005, the first season under the current four-team regional format, UNC defeated Canisius and Seton Hall to advance to the final game of the Ann Arbor Regional, but lost to eventual national champion Michigan, 6-0. Two years later in 2007, the Tar Heels were sent to the Knoxville Regional, where they lost, 2-0, to WCWS Runner-Up Tennessee.
Downtown Kristen Brown
On April 22, 2015, then-junior Kristen Brown launched her 44th career home run to become Carolina's all-time home run leader. Thirteen months later, the slugger broke her most significant record in a memorable way, becoming the ACC's all-time career home run leader on May 19, 2016, with a walk-off two-run home run that gave the Tar Heels the victory at NCAA Regionals—her conference-leading 66th career long ball.
Brown knocked down her second UNC career record on Feb. 27, 2016, using a three-run home run to surpass Natalie Anter (1999-02) as Carolina's all-time RBI leader. The first Tar Heel ever to drive in 200 runs, she finished third all time in the ACC in runs batted in.
On March 6, Brown used a go-ahead home run against Cal State Fullerton in the top of the seventh to become the all-time total bases leader, a record also held by former Olympian Natalie Anter. With 469 to her name, Brown ranks fourth in ACC history in total bases.
On April 13, Brown broke yet another record, crossing the plate for the 169th time in the sixth inning at Charlotte to become UNC's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Cassie Palmer (2005-08)'s record of 168. With 181, she finished tied for ninth all time in the ACC.
Brown walked in all four plate appearances in the first game against No. 18 Notre Dame on April 24, tying Carolina's single-game record while using her third walk of the day to become UNC's all-time career leader with her 96th base on balls.
In the series finale on April 25, Brown broke yet another record, driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth with her 10th career sacrifice fly.
Brown's consistency at plate has her ranked leaps and bounds ahead of the next best slugger, posting a .714 career slugging percentage. Kelli Wheeler (2009-12) held the previous record at .614, while Brown ranks fourth all-time in ACC history (Note: Notre Dame's Emilee Koerner '15 posted a .762 slugging percentage over three seasons as an ACC member, but including her 2012 season she slugged .692 for her career.)
Brown holds the top-two single-season records in both home runs and RBIs, and also scored a program-high 57 runs last season. The slugger broke the single-season walks record with her 43rd base on balls during the NCAA Tournament tied the sacrifice flies record with five this year.
The Tar Heel shortstop has also tied UNC's career record for intentional walks (14), finished second all time in career on base percentage and fourth in both batting average and hits.
The slugger is among the best in the nation among active players, ranking in the top 50 in seven different career offensive categories, including sixth in home runs, 10th in total bases and 11th in RBIs.
Feel The Need For Speed
The 2016 Tar Heels were incredibly aggressive on the basepaths. After stealing just 29 bases in all of 2015, the second-fewest in program history, Carolina more than tripled that this season, breaking the all-time program record with 102 swipes in 126 attempts this year. The Heels surpassed the 1993 season, when UNC went 90-for-107 in 59 games. The 2016 Heels stole 90 bases in the first 48 games.
Carolina became the fifth team in ACC history to break 100 swipes in a season and finished tied for 15th all time in conference history. Florida State set the all-time team record in 1996 with 160 stolen bases over 72 games.
The Tar Heels were led by freshman speed demon Destiny DeBerry (33-for-38) and senior Aquilla Mateen (26-for-28), who both ranked among the top-10 single-season leaders at UNC, while Mateen also finished fifth in career swipes at Carolina. It marked the first time in history that two Tar Heels stole at least 25 bases in one season. The only other duo with at least 20 swipes each came back in 1993, when Sonya Bright (32) and Amy Cole (21) helped to set the team season record that stood for 23 years until this season.
As a team, UNC ranked third in the ACC and 22nd in the nation in stolen bases, with DeBerry and Mateen ranked third and fifth, respectively, in the ACC. Additionally, DeBerry finished 24th in the nation.
On Feb. 27, UNC tied the single-game record by stealing a total of eight bases against IUPUI. DeBerry stole three bases in the game, while Mateen and Taylor Wike both stole twice. The eight swipes matched the all-time record set on Feb. 23, 2011, when Carolina stole eight bases against UNCW. DeBerry was also the first Tar Heel to steal three bases in a game since that same weekend, as Chelsey Butler stole three against UNCW and Tisha Mahon swiped three bases two days later against Georgetown.
UNC neared the record once again on March 25 against No. 11 Florida State. The Seminole battery had allowed just seven stolen bases over the first 26 games of the year, but allowed UNC to steal seven bases in the series opener. DeBerry once again stole thrice and Mateen stole two bases, including taking home on a well-executed double steal with Wike.
Lynch Shoulders Large Load
Due to the injury of sophomore pitcher Sydney Matzko, junior Kendra Lynch started 18 consecutive games in the circle from Feb. 28 to March 26. The junior hurler had pitched just three complete games and a total of 101.0 innings over her first two seasons, but worked tirelessly in the off season to become UNC's go-to starter. After the loss of her teammate from the lineup, Lynch had to shoulder even more of the load, but accepted the challenge with poise.
Lynch led the ACC in innings pitched, wins, starts and appearances, and ranked fourth in strikeouts. The Tar Heel junior, who was named ACC Pitcher of the Week three times, finished seventh in the nation and third all time at UNC with 28 wins while capturing UNC single-season records for appearances (53), starts (47), innings (301.1) and complete games (33).
Walk This Way
Carolina showed tremendous discipline at the plate this season, averaging the second-most walks per game in program history, with 3.74 BB per contest. Only the 2015 Tar Heels had more, with 4.11 per game. With an additional 45 hit batters, the 2016 Heels also finished second only to 2015 with a .392 on base percentage.
Senior Kristen Brown finished second in the ACC and 22nd in the nation with a school-record 43 bases on balls, while Taylor Wike tied for eighth in the ACC with 30.
Brown and Wike have been patient throughout their careers, as Brown broke the career walks record on April 24, 2016, against No. 18 Notre Dame and finished with 106 to her name. She also tied the single-game record with four walks in that game. After walking a single-season record 42 times last season as a freshman, Wike is already tied for 11th with 72 in her first two seasons putting her on pace to shatter the record before the end of her junior year.
A feared power hitter, Brown also tied UNC's record by being intentionally walked 14 times for her career, including nine times this season. Brown tied former Olympian Natalie Anter's (1999-02) career mark, and was one shy of the single-season record, set at 10 by Emily Price in 2004.
Heels Advance to ACC Semifinals
The Tar Heels finished in a tie for fifth place in the ACC regular-season standings, capturing the #5-seed for the 2016 ACC Softball Championship. A six-run sixth inning backed a four-hit shutout by Kendra Lynch to lead UNC past #4-seed Boston College, 6-0, in the ACC Quaterfinals. The win preserved Carolina's perfect record in ACC Quarterfinal games since the move to single elimination in 2008.
UNC advanced to face top-seeded No. 6 Florida State in the Semifinals. The Tar Heels had more scoring opportunities, but hit just 1-for-14 with runners on base. A fifth-inning RBI double by Berlynne Delamora sent the only Tar Heel run across the plate, as UNC fell to the eventual champions, 7-1, en route to the Seminoles' third straight ACC Tournament title.
Aquilla Mateen went 3-for-3 with a run against Boston College to earn a spot on the ACC All-Tournament Team for the second time in her career. Taylor Wike went 3-for-4 with a double and UNC's lone run against Florida State to join the centerfielder on the All-Tournament Team.
Tar Heels Take On Difficult Slate in 2016
The Tar Heels put together a challenging slate for 2016, featuring 27 games against 18 teams that made the 2016 NCAA Tournament. UNC played seven games against four of the top-16 seeds for the 2016 Championship (Michigan, JMU, Florida State, Georgia), three of whom advanced to the Women's College World Series.
According to the NCAA's strength of schedule rankings, UNC played the 21st-most-difficult schedule in the nation, including the 12th-hardest nonconference slate.
Carolina faced six 2016 conference champions as well as six teams who won their conference tournament.
The Tar Heels played five teams that finished ranked in the top 25 of both the NFCA and ESPN.com polls: No. 4/3 Florida State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 7/6 Georgia, No. 11/10 JMU and No. 23/25 Notre Dame. Additionally, eight season opponents received votes in either final poll.
According to the NCAA RPI, Carolina played nine games against top-25 teams, including four against #5 Florida State, with a total of 14 opponents ranked in the top 50. UNC had eight victories over top-50 opponents, including a road win at #16 Georgia and taking two of three from #32 Notre Dame.
Carolina's worst loss to an opponent outside of the ACC came to #59 Longwood in extra innings, a team UNC had beaten in its first two meetings. The lowest-ranked nonconference opponent that Carolina did not defeat at least once was #35 California, who received votes in both final polls.
Carolina faced its first ranked team, No. 2 Michigan, on March 4, but fell 11-6. UNC's other four opponents at the Judi Garman Classic all received votes during season, including Oregon State, who was ranked No. 22 by ESPN.com that week. The Tar Heels defeated Long Beach State but fell to California, Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton.
UNC took on No. 11 Florida State in a three-game series on March 25-26. Despite scoring 17 runs and stealing 13 bases against one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, the Tar Heels could not stop their potent offense, dropping all three games.
Carolina won 2-of-3 against Louisville, who was ranked No. 25 in the ESPN.com poll, with a doubleheader sweep on April 3.
On April 6, UNC picked up a top-10 victory, defeating No. 10 Georgia, 2-1, in extra innings behind a complete-game effort and a solo home run by Kendra Lynch.
UNC then took two out of three games from No. 18 Notre Dame, with both wins broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
2016 Award Winners
Brown Rakes In Major Awards
Senior shortstop Kristen Brown concluded her Carolina career as one of the most decorated student-athletes ever to come through the UNC softball program. After setting eight career and five single-season records at UNC, the Levittown, New York, native was named First-Team All-America by both the NFCA and HERO Sports, and became the first softball player ever to receive UNC's prestigious Patterson Medal. Brown is the fourth UNC softball player to earn NFCA First-Team All-America, third two-time All-American and third four-time All-ACC honoree.
Three Heels Named All-ACC
Kristen Brown and Kendra Lynch were both named to the All-ACC First Team, while Taylor Wike received a Second Team nod from the conference coaches. Brown was the lone conference player to earn her fourth consecutive selection, including her third straight First Team nod. She is the third Tar Heel in program history to earn four all-conference awards.
Brown ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in 12 different statistical categories during the regular season, including leading the league in on base percentage (.538), home runs (18) and sac flies (5).
Lynch picked up her first career postseason award after being named ACC Pitcher of the Week three times throughout the year. She led the conference in starts, appearances and innings pitched during ACC games and ranked second with 11 wins.
Wike picked up her second consecutive all-conference award by hitting .324 with seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, 21 runs scored and a .577 slugging percentage during ACC play.
Tar Heels Earn Six ACC Weekly Honors
Carolina boasted a total of six ACC weekly honors this season, the most for the Tar Heels since winning nine in 2009. Junior Kendra Lynch earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors three times, freshman Berlynne Delamora was twice named ACC Player of the Week and Kristen Brown earned her fourth career ACC Player of the Week honor on Feb. 22.
Lynch became the first Tar Heel since 2013 to win ACC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 15 after tossing a pair of complete-game shutouts on opening weekend. An extra-innings victory at No. 10 Georgia helped the Tar Heel junior to her second award on April 11, and a three-game sweep at Georgia Tech led to her third award on May 9.
Brown was named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 22 after leading the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a 1.375 slugging percentage and three home runs.
Delamora became the first freshman since Brown's rookie campaign in 2013 to earn ACC Player of the Week on April 4, leading UNC to a 4-1 week including a series victory over Louisville. The Tar Heel third baseman hit .667 (8-for-12) with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
The Tar Heel rookie earned her second weekly honor one month later after two game-changing home runs led to wins over No. 18 Notre Dame and Campbell. The third baseman is the first Carolina freshman to win multiple weekly awards since Lori Spingola, who was a three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week honoree in 2011.
Wagner Wins Academic Awards
Senior Elly Wagner was honored by the athletic department on Jan. 20 with the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award, acknowledging her outstanding academic performance throughout her Carolina career. One player from each Carolina team was given the title, for a total of 26 winners for the 2015-16 academic year.
Wagner was also the recipient of the Top-10 Scholar-Athlete honor, given to the 10 seniors at UNC with the highest GPA. The Pittsburgh native, along with teammate Aquilla Mateen, was named Leader of Distinction, the highest honor awarded to graduates of the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy. Wagner then concluded her career with her third consecutive NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete award. She joined Kendra Lynch as NFCA honorees, while Lynch and Lauren Fuller took home All-ACC Academic honors.
Brown Selected as Player of the Year Candidate
Senior Kristen Brown was selected as one of 50 candidates for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. The talented shortstop earned consideration for the national award for the second year in a row, having been a Top-26 Finalist in 2015. However, Brown was not among the 25 Finalists announced on April 13, 2016.
Momumental Moments
Carolina Upsets Top-10 Georgia—Again
On April 6, 2016, UNC put together a spectacular defensive display in Athens, Ga., taking down No. 10 Georgia, 2-1, in eight innings. The win marked the second straight season that UNC has defeated a top-10 Georgia squad in Athens, after the Tar Heels toppled then-No. 9 Georgia, 15-9, on April 1, 2015. It was the eighth victory all time over a top-10 opponent, four of which were against Georgia squads.
In 2015, the Tar Heels matched the most runs ever allowed by a Georgia opponent in program history. In 2016, the Bulldogs entered the game with the best team batting average in the nation (.370), but were limited to just a single run.
Kendra Lynch hurled the complete game from the circle, allowing just one run on an RBI ground out in the fifth. She was equally prolific at the plate, driving in the first run of the game with a second-inning solo shot. A diving catch by Aquilla Mateen in left center wrapped up the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings, and a monster line drive over the left field wall by Kristen Brown, the 60th home run of her career, put UNC back on top, 2-1. Leah Murray made a diving catch for the first out of the eighth to avoid a leadoff bloop single. Lynch struck out Alex Hugo, who had hit a walk-off home run to knock UNC out of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, for the second out, then caught Maeve McGuire looking to strand two and seal up the extra inning victory.
Papa Earns 200th Career ACC Victory
With UNC's explosive 13-3 win at Pittsburgh on March 19, 2016, head coach Donna J. Papa earned her 200th career ACC victory. The Tar Heel skipper is the first ACC head softball coach ever to reach the milestone. Florida State is the only other Atlantic Coast Conference member to have reached 200 wins as a program, but its wins are split between long-time head coach JoAnne Graf (121) and current director Lonni Alameda.
With 1,187 career victories over 33 seasons, Coach Papa ranks sixth among active Division I head coaches, ninth all time in DI and 11th among all NCAA softball coaches all time.
Tar Heels Take Series With No. 18 Irish
After spending three weeks on the road, Carolina returned home on April 24 to host No. 18 Notre Dame in a three-game ACC series. A three-run home run by Kendra Lynch in the bottom of the first got the Tar Heels started in game one. Notre Dame tied the score in the top of the second, but a two-run double by Taylor Wike gave UNC back the lead, and Lynch retired the final 10 batters of the game to win the opener, 7-4.
After dropping the nightcap, UNC returned to the field on Monday night for the rubber match. The Irish took the first lead, but a three-run home run by Berlynne Delamora put the Heels in front in the bottom of the third. A fifth-inning grand slam tied the score at 6-6, but Kristen Brown delivered the go-ahead run with her school-record 10th career sacrifice fly to give UNC a 7-6 victory and win its fourth ACC series of the year.
The Tar Heels played at total of three games against ranked opponents on national television during the regular season and won all three. UNC defeated No. 10 Georgia on SEC Network on April 6, while both Notre Dame wins were broadcast on ESPNU.
Tar Heels Take Two From Cards
Carolina claimed its second ACC series of the season on April 2-3, winning 2-of-3 over Louisville. The Cardinals, who were ranked No. 25 by ESPN.com, entered the week at a near-perfect 9-1 in ACC play. UNC had an early lead, fell behind, retook it, then found itself in a 5-5 tie with the Cardinals in the series opener, but U of L scored four runs over the final two innings to take the lid lifter, 9-5.
UNC clashed in a similar battle on Sunday morning, allowing three runs in the top of the sixth to lose the lead and head to the seventh knotted at five, but Berlynne Delamora hit a walk-off RBI single that drove in Kiana Sherlund, who had drawn a leadoff walk, to even the series.
The finale was even more heated, as Carolina scored first, then fell behind, 4-2. A three-run fourth gave UNC back the lead, but another two-run homer made it 6-5 Louisville. Carolina battled back once again to take an 8-6 lead into the seventh. Lauren Fuller, who earned her first career victory earlier in the day, entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh. She drew a fly ball to right, and a fantastic throw by Sherlund to Katie Bailiff caught the runner at the plate for a potentially game-saving double play, as Fuller picked up her first career save and UNC won the series with a Sunday sweep.
UNC Wins Third ACC Series at BC
Strong defense and timely hitting led UNC to its second straight ACC series victory, taking two-of-three at Boston College. After falling behind early, the Tar Heels exploded for six runs in the final two innings of game one, thanks to home runs by Kendra Lynch and Lauren Fuller, to take the opener, 6-2.
A homer by Kristen Brown gave UNC the lead in game two, and heads-up base running by Aquilla Mateen and Taylor Wike put two more across the plate. Lynch then picked up her first career save, retiring the final eight batters she faced to seal up a 4-3 win and clinch the series victory.
Tar Heels Sweep Carolina Classic
The Tar Heels ran through their annual home tournament, the Carolina Classic, on Feb. 26-28, taking down Butler, IUPUI, Fairfield and Georgetown at Anderson Stadium. UNC gritted out a 2-1 victory over Butler on opening night, then raced to a 10-0 shutout of IUPUI in five innings. Sloppy defense led to a battle with Fairfield, but the Tar Heels pulled it out, 6-4, then unloaded for eight runs in the fourth inning against Georgetown to shut out the Hoyas, 8-0, in five innings.
Kendra Lynch was a force to be reckoned with at the plate and in the circle. The junior pitcher allowed just one run over 15.1 innings, going 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA, including throwing 8.1 shut out innings on Sunday. Meanwhile, she went 7-for-11 at the plate, slugging 1.267 with a double and two home runs to lead Carolina to the tournament title.
Lynch Hurls Two Shutouts at Texas Classic
Junior Kendra Lynch led Carolina to a brilliant season opener, hurling a 1-hit shutout—while going 2-for-3 in the batting lineup—with a then-career-high seven strikeouts to lead UNC to a 9-0 victory over 2016 Summit League Champion North Dakota State.
The Tar Heel starter closed the weekend much as it began, completing a 5-hit shutout of Arkansas on Valentine's Day. Her efforts at the Texas Classic earned her her first career conference honor with the first ACC Pitcher of the Week nod of the season.
Prior to this season, Lynch had pitched just three complete games and a total of 101.0 innings over two years, but shouldered the load fantastically with a 1.27 ERA over 22.0 innings in four appearances on opening weekend.
Professional and International News
Chicago Bandits Draft Kristen Brown
Kristen Brown was selected by the Chicago Bandits in the fourth round with the 24th overall pick of the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft on April 14 and agreed to terms for a one-year deal. Brown will be the 14th Tar Heel alum to play professional softball for the NPF and the second to become a Chicago Bandit (Christine Knauer, 2010-11). It is the second straight season that a Tar Heel has been drafted, following Amber Parrish's selection by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in 2015. Brown was the only ACC player selected in the 2016 draft.
Brown Makes U.S. Women's Elite Team
Carolina senior Kristen Brown became the first Tar Heel in program history to earn a spot in the USA Softball program on Jan. 8 when she was named to the 18-player U.S. Women's Elite Team. Brown was the second Carolina player invited to U.S. National Team Selection Camp, following Tiffany Tolleson (2002-03)'s invitation in 2003. Natalie Anter is the sole Tar Heel to ever compete in the Olympics, having represented Italy in Athens in 2004.
McHugh, Norris Named IMPACT Honorees by Akron Racers
On April 4, former Carolina pitcher Radara McHugh (1998-01) was named an IMPACT honoree by the Akron Racers of the NPF. McHugh was ninth of 30 players who will be honored as having the largest impact on the history of the oldest existing pro fastpitch team as it gears up for its 15th season as a franchise. On May 17, Lisa Norris (2006-09) was named the 21st IMPACT Honoree in the 30-person series.
The 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year, McHugh played for the Racers from 2004-09 then became the first-ever former player to be hired as a coach. McHugh led the Racers to their first and only NPF title in 2005 with 4.2 shutout innings in the circle.
A three-time All-ACC selection, Norris was the longest tenured Racer in program history when she retired in 2015, playing for seven seasons. The talented pitcher hurled a perfect game in her first-ever professional appearance and is the winningest pitcher in Racers history with 53 victories.
Amber Parrish Signs Contract in Italy
On April 16, former Tar Heel catcher Amber Parrish (2012-15) was signed by Softball Club Forli, an amateur fastpitch team based in Forli, Italy. The day after signing, Parrish led Forli to a doubleheader sweep, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a run and an RBI in an 8-1 victory, then hitting a two-run double in the 13-4 win in the nightcap. Former Tar Heel Natalie Anter (1999-02) also played for Forli prior to representing Italy in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
