North Carolina
Notre Dame
No. 30 Tar Heels Edge No. 26 Fighting Irish 4-3
February 4, 2006 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 4, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina men's tennis team moved its record to 6-0 Saturday after a 4-3 victory over the 26th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on the UNC campus. With the loss Notre Dame drops to 2-2 on the season.
Senior Raian Luchici, the No. 5-ranked player in the nation, clinched the match for the Tar Heels at No. 1 singles as he defeated Notre Dame's Stephen Boyd 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Boyd is ranked 8th in the country in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls.
"I knew it was going to be a battle and I kept staying in the match," Luchici said. "I didn't know that I was the clincher, but of course it was a good feeling after the win."
The Tar Heels took an early 1-0 lead over the Irish after doubles wins by the tandems of Lenny Gullan and David Stone at No. 2 and Sebastian Guejman and Derek Porter at No. 3. Guejman and Porter defeated the Irish's Stephen Bass and Eric Langenkamp 8-4 before Stone and Gullan defeated the pairing of Brett Helgeson and Sheeva Parbhu 8-5. Gullan and Stone overcame a 4-1 deficit to win the match and clinch the doubles point for the Tar Heels.
After a victory by the Irish at No. 6 singles, Benjamin Carlotti regained the lead for the Tar Heels with a 7-6 (7-4), 3-0 win over Helgeson. Helgeson was forced to retire in the second set after suffering a leg cramp.
The Irish tied the match again at 2-2 as Ryan Keckley defeated Guejman 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 at No. 5 singles.
Carolina pulled back ahead after a comeback victory by senior Brad Pomeroy at No. 3 singles. Pomeroy faced a 6-1, 3-1 deficit against Notre Dame's Barry King, but rallied to earn the win 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. The victory marked the 10th time in his career that Pomeroy rallied to win a match after losing the first set.
The match was then decided at the No. 1 spot. After Notre Dame's Bass defeated Luchici 6-4 in the opening set, Luchici rebounded to win the second set 6-3 before capturing the match with a 6-4 showing in the third set.
"It's a really good early win for us," said Carolina head coach Sam Paul. "We knew it was going to be a fight and a battle all the way through. I think it's truly a team victory."
The Tar Heels are back in action Sunday at home against the Yale Bulldogs. The match will begin at 1 p.m. at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
No. 30 North Carolina 4, No. 26 Notre Dame 3
Doubles (team winning the majority of doubles matches wins one point)
No. 1 Ryan Keckley / Barry King (ND) d. #1 Raian Luchici / Brad Pomeroy (UNC) 8-4
No. 2 Lenny Gullan / David Stone (UNC) d. Brett Helgeson / Sheeva Parbhu (ND) 8-5
No. 3 Sebastian Guejman / Derek Porter (UNC) d. Stephen Bass / Eric Langenkamp (ND) 8-4
*Carolina wins doubles point by taking two of three matches
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
No. 1 #5 Raian Luchici (UNC) d. #8 Stephen Bass (ND) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 *
No. 2 #14 Sheeva Parbhu (ND) d. Derek Porter (UNC) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
No. 3 Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Barry King (ND) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 4 Benjamin Carlotti (UNC) d. Brett Helgeson (ND) 7-6 (7-4), 3-0 ret.
No. 5 Ryan Keckley (ND) d. Sebastian Guejman (UNC) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
No. 6 Patrick Buchanan (ND) d. Will Plyler (UNC) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 4, 5, 3, 1, 2
*Clinched match
Updated Team Records: UNC 6-0, ND 2-2
Players Mentioned
