University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Open ACC Play With Two Road Matches
March 22, 2007 | Men's Tennis
March 22, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina men's tennis team, ranked 14th nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls, begins Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend with two road trips to Georgia Tech and Clemson on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Carolina looks to improve to a two year regular season win streak over both teams and continue an undefeated season, currently standing at 12-0.
Five ACC schools are found in the Top 25 of the latest ITA rankings; Virginia (3rd), Wake Forest (12th), UNC (14th), Duke (17th) and NC State (21st). Georgia Tech earned a No. 42 ranking, while Clemson fills the No. 30 spot. The Tar Heels are led in the latest polls by Benjamin Carlotti, a native of Paris, France, who garnered a No. 46 singles ranking.
Georgia Tech is led by No. 30 David North in singles and No. 38 North and George Gvelesiani in doubles. The Yellow Jackets stand at 5-8 on the season and 2-1 in the ACC, coming off three straight losses, the last being a 7-0 decision by Miami. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 23-10, over Georgia Tech.
The Clemson Tigers are led in the polls by No. 112 Ryan Young and No. 124 Clement Reix in singles; Young and Reix combine to earn a No. 24 doubles ranking. Clemson is also coming off a defeat by Miami, a 5-2 decision last Friday. The Tigers are 18-5 overall and 1-2 in league play. Clemson plays host to Duke Saturday before facing the Tar Heels on Sunday.
Carolina pulled out the series lead over Clemson under Coach Sam Paul's reign with the 2006 win; North Carolina now leads the series 11-10. The past ten matches between the Tigers and Tar Heels have been decided by 4-3 matches, all coming down to the last court. In 2006, the Tar Heels avenged 2005 losses to both schools with deciding victories over Georgia Tech and Clemson at 5-2 and 4-3, respectively.
The matches are slated for a 2:30 p.m. start Friday at Georgia Tech and 1 p.m. Sunday against Clemson. Live stats for the Georgia Tech match Friday can be found here.
Players Mentioned
