North Carolina
Georgia Tech
No. 12 Tar Heel Tennis Team Guts Out Win Over Rambling Wreck
March 26, 2006 | Men's Tennis
March 26, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Straight-set singles victories by Raian Luchici and Benjamin Carlotti propelled the 12th-ranked North Carolina men's tennis team to a 5-2 victory over the 27th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Sunday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. With the win, North Carolina exceeded its entire win total for the 2005 season and more importantly finished off a 2-0 weekend against ACC teams who defeated the Tar Heels last season.
North Carolina scored the first four points of the match before Georgia Tech rallied to win two of the last three matches. The Tar Heels improve to 17-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC while the No. 27 Rambling Wreck fell to 6-7 overall and 0-5 in the conference. The 5-2 margin of victory for Carolina marked the first time since April 13, 2001 that the match was decided by a margin greater than 4-3. UNC defeated the Yellow Jackets 5-2 that day in Atlanta. The last five meetings all ended 4-3 with UNC claiming a pair of wins in 2002, including the ACC Tournament championship match, and then each team winning on its home courts in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
After losing its first match of the season last Tuesday by a 4-3 score to Wake Forest, the Tar Heels bounced back this weekend for wins over No. 10 Clemson 4-3 and the Yellow Jackets 5-2. All three teams Carolina played this week defeated UNC in 2005 when the Tar Heels finished 4-6 in the league.
"We knew this was going to be another tough match, a hard-fought match," said UNC head coach Sam Paul as the Tar Heels improved to 18-6 against the Jackets since Paul came to Carolina as an assistant coach in 1990. "We had a long match yesterday against Clemson and that was an emotional victory that took a lot out of us. Our guys did a good job today to come back from that match and put forth another good effort today."
It was the first time all season the Tar Heels were able to play a home match outdoors and both teams had to contend with windy conditions and temperatures in the mid-50s.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead in a closely contested trio of doubles matches with two ending in tiebreakers. It was the 16th time in 18 matches this season UNC has won the doubles point. Sixth-ranked Raian Luchici and Brad Pomeroy won 8-4 at No. 1 doubles before both the No. 3 and No. 2 matches went to tiebreakers with the scores tied at 8-8. Tech won at No. 3 in a tiebreaker decided by 7-4. At No. 2 UNC's Sebastian Guejman and Derek Porter trailed 4-2 in the tiebreaker before rallying to beat Scott Blackmon and Zachary Rath by winning five of the last six points.
UNC's momentum carried over into singles play. Luchici, ranked 10th nationally in singles, scored a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win over Marko Rajevac at No. 1. Benjamin Carlotti then captured a straight set 6-4, 6-4 win over George Gvelesiani at No. 5.
Carolina clinched the match when senior Derek Porter rallied from a set down to win at No. 3 singles 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 over David North.
"Our seniors keep coming through in big matches for us," said Sam Paul. "Yesterday is was Brad Pomeroy and Raian Luchici with key wins. Today Derek Porter really gave us a lift with wins in doubles and singles while Raian was outstanding today in both doubles and singles."
Tech claimed two of the last three points as four of the six singles matches ended up going three sets. Jordan Delass rallied past Brad Pomeroy at No. 2, Will Plyler came from a set down to win at No. 6 and Zachary Rath outlasted Sebastian Guejman at No. 4.
UNC plays two tough matches on the road next weekend as it visits No. 24 Florida State Friday and No. 14 Miami Sunday.
No. 12 North Carolina 5, No. 27 Georgia Tech 2
Doubles (pro sets, team winning at least two of three matches earns one team point)
No. 1 #6 Raian Luchici / Brad Pomeroy (NC) d. David North / Marko Rajevac (GT), 8-4
No. 2 Sebastian Guejman / Derek Porter (NC) d. Scott Blackmon / Zachary Rath (GT), 9-8 (7-5)
No. 3 Jordan Delass / George Gvelesiani (GT) d. Lenny Gullan /Aly Mandour (NC) 9-8 (7-4)
(North Carolina claims doubles point to lead match 1-0)
Singles (best of three sets)
No. 1 #10 Raian Luchici (NC) d. Marko Rajevac (GT), 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 Jordan Delass (GT) d. Brad Pomeroy (NC), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Derek Porter (NC) d. David North (GT), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 Zachary Rath (GT) d. Sebastian Guejman (NC), 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1
No. 5 Benjamin Carlotti (NC) d. George Gvelesiani (GT), 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 Will Plyler (NC) d. Scott Blackmon (GT), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Records: North Carolina 17-1, ACC 2-1; Georgia Tech 6-7, ACC 0-5
Players Mentioned
