North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Tar Heel Men's Tennis Team Stings Yellow Jackets 4-3
March 28, 2004 | Men's Tennis
March 28, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Coach Sam Paul's 19th-ranked North Carolina men's tennis team continued its amazing 2004 season Sunday afternoon as the Tar Heels battled to a 4-3 decision over No. 35 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the penultimate home match for Tar Heel seniors Ben Aiken, Andy Metzler and Nick Monroe at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. It is the fourth straight match between the two teams that has been decided by a 4-3 score.
Sophomore Raian Luchici, a transfer from the University of Georgia, provided the clinching victory for the Tar Heels at the No. 4 singles position. The bottom half of Carolina's singles lineup provided the key wins as Georgia Tech swept Carolina at No. 1-3 while UNC won at No. 4-6.
UNC improved to 18-2 overall with the victory and remains undefeated in the ACC at 4-0. Georgia Tech is 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the league. Carolina's only losses this year have come at the hands of No. 7 Virginia Commonwealth 5-2 and No. 15 Harvard 4-3.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the match by claiming the doubles point with wins in two of the three matches. Junior Jonathan Janda and Luchici started things by defeating Jose Muguruza and Zachary Rath of Tech 8-4 at No. 3, followed quickly by a win by Jason Pieters and West Nott of the Yellow Jackets at No. 2 by an 8-5 score over Carolina's Metzler and Brad Pomeroy. The point was decided at No. 1 when UNC's Monroe and Geoff Boyd, ranked No. 21, scored a mild 8-6 upset over 11th-ranked Scott Schnugg and Marko Rajevac of the Jackets 8-6.
In singles play, junior Geoff Boyd bumped the Tar Heel lead to 2-0 as he quickly dispatched Rajevac 6-2, 6-1. Boyd is now 26-4 on the year and has won eight straight singles matches in straight sets. The Yellow Jackets bounced back to tie the score at 2-2 as Jason Pieters beat Metzler 6-3, 6-3 at No. 3 and 65th-ranked Schnugg beat the Tar Heels' No. 31 Monroe 7-6, 6-2 at No. 1.
The next match off the court was at No. 5 where sophomore Brad Pomeroy won a three-set match from Zachary Rath 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. With the match tied at 1-1 in the third set, Pomeroy broke Rath's serve and went on to win the final five games of the third set. Luchici then clinched the win for Carolina at No. 4 as he overcame West Nott, 7-6, 6-3. The final match at No. 2 went three sets as Jose Muguruza, ranked No. 100, outlasted the Tar Heels' Derek Porter, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
The Tar Heels will play their final regular-season home match of the campaign Wednesday when the No. 48 Wake Forest Demon Deacons visit the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.
No. 19 North Carolina 4, No. 35 Georgia Tech 3
Doubles (UNC wins doubles point by winning majority of doubles matches)
1. No. 21 Nick Monroe/Geoff Boyd (UNC) d. No. 11 Scott Schnugg/Marko Rajevac (GT), 8-6
2. Jason Pieters/West Nott (GT) d. Andy Metzler/Brad Pomeroy (UNC), 8-5
3. Jonathan Janda/Raian Luchici (UNC) d. Jose Muguruza/Zachary Rath (GT), 8-4
Singles
1. No. 65 Scott Schnugg (GT) d. No. 31 Nick Monroe (UNC), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
2. No. 100 Jose Muguruza (GT) d. Derek Porter (UNC), 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3
3. Jason Pieters (GT) d. Andy Metzler (UNC), 6-3, 6-3
4. Raian Luchici (UNC) d. West Nott (GT), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
5. Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Zachary Rath (GT), 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
6. Geoff Boyd (UNC) d. Marko Rajevac (GT), 6-2, 6-1
Records: North Carolina 18-2, ACC 4-0; Georgia Tech 12-6, ACC 4-2
Players Mentioned
