RALEIGH, NC –Mary Lloyd Hodges Barbera, a 2012 inductee to the William Peace University Hall of Fame, will soon be inducted into another hall of fame.  Selected by the North Carolina Tennis Foundation, Barbara joins Mark Dillon as part of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame class of 2016, where she will be posthumously honored after unexpectedly passing away this year at the age of 49.

The induction will take place at USTA North Carolina's Tennis Weekend, an annual state meeting of tennis volunteers and professionals held in Pinehurst, N.C., in January.
"A big part of Mary Lloyd's life was dedicated to tennis. I can say on behalf of her and her family that this is an incredible honor and one Mary Lloyd would be so proud to receive," said Mary Lloyd's surviving husband Bobby Barbera.

Barbera held the No. 1 ranking in North Carolina in the Girls' 12s, 14s and 18s as a junior. She was a three-time state singles champion, a three-time state doubles champion, and she captured NCHSAA state singles title in 1981 and 1982 at Henderson Vance High School before playing at Peace College under WPU hall of famer Ruth Hopkins.  In 1984, she was named an All-American Athlete by the National Junior College Athletic Association for Flight #1 Singles.

As a junior transfer at North Carolina State University, Mary Lloyd attained a career doubles winning percentage of .737, lettering in 1986-1987.  She led the Wolfpack Women's Tennis Team with 16 wins in singles action, including a 6-1 record against ACC competition and contributed to a 16-3 slate in doubles, including three wins in the ACC tournament. 

Barbera continued her dedication to the sport of tennis as the Director of Marketing, Membership, and Special Events for the United States Tennis Association of North Carolina. She was honored with the North Carolina Junior Tennis Council Award  given in honor of John Peddycord (1991), a Mary Milam Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) and received the Marilyn Sherman Spirit Aware for extraordinary spirit in growing the game of tennis in the USTA Southern Section (2008). 

"Mary Lloyd has had two NC Tennis Hall of Fame careers. Her record as a player puts her among the best ever to come from North Carolina," said Kelly Gaines, USTA North Carolina Executive Director. "She dedicated the last 15 years of her life to making sure every person in our state had a chance to know about tennis. Her contributions to tennis were left on the court and in the hearts of everyone who met her."

The North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame now includes 91 members with the addition of Barbera and Dillon. The inaugural class was inducted in 1975. For more information, visit www.nctennisfoundation.com.

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