Metro Boys Tennis Player Of The Year: Mountain Brook’s Trey Carter
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Mountain Brook’s Trey Carter put together a 41-3 singles record in his four years of varsity play. (Dennis Victory)
Three years later, he finally lost another set, falling behind in the quarterfinal round at April’s state tournament.
That uh-oh moment was soon forgotten. Carter recovered and won a three-setter. He did the same in the semifinals, conceding the first set before winning the next two.
Then, in the Class 6A final, the Mountain Brook senior resumed his dominance with a 6-1, 6-1 statement victory that netted him his first No. 1 singles title.
Evidently, an unfamiliar dose of adversity wasn’t enough to faze the Birmingham News Metro Boys Tennis Player of the Year.
“His mental game is what sets him apart,” Spartans coach Susan Farlow said. “He has never lost a match that really mattered, at state or anywhere else.”
The numbers and results back that up. Over four years on Mountain Brook’s varsity, Carter amassed a 41-3 singles record, going undefeated in state tournaments. He won state singles titles at No. 5 as a freshman, No. 4 as a sophomore, No. 2 as a junior and No. 1 this season.
Carter also teamed with Patrick Lucas, The News’ 2011 Metro Player of the Year, to claim No. 1 doubles titles in 2010 and 2011, giving Carter six state titles overall.
During Carter’s time at Mountain Brook, the boys team captured two state championships and finished as the runner-up twice, including this year, when Vestavia Hills won the team crown.
“When I got into those tough situations where there was a lot of pressure, I just felt like my team needed me and I needed to be a leader and prove my skills and position,” said Carter, who collected a perfect 10-0 record in singles this season despite a late switch from glasses to contact lenses. “I had a lot of experience going into those bigger matches. I had been there before, and it just helped me relax.”
Carter’s big-match mastery might have sprouted when he lost that first set at state as a freshman. His eventual three-set victory over an opponent he had never beaten before honed a confidence that accompanied his steady rise from the No. 5 singles position.
“If it’s down to the last match and the outcome relies on one court, Trey is the guy I would want,” Farlow said. “He just knows how to bring it on when it counts.”
Carter suffered a rare defeat this season when he and doubles partner Eric Buchalter fell in three sets to Vestavia’s Jeffrey Holcombe and Leo Richard at the state tournament.
Despite the disappointment of that loss — Carter and Buchalter had defeated the Vestavia duo three times in the regular season — Farlow called Carter “the best I’ve ever seen” in doubles play.
“He’s got the most unbelievable hands of any player I’ve coached,” Farlow said.
Carter credits his success to the instruction of Farlow and Jimmy Weinaker, a teaching pro at Pinetree Country Club whose son Jacob recently finished his sophomore season at Mountain Brook.
This fall, Carter will follow in the footsteps of Jacob’s older brother, Jay, in playing tennis for North Carolina State.
