UNC Wins Third Straight Over VCU

Sunday, February 24

Chapel Hill, N.C.

4:00 PM

North Carolina

VCU

February 25, 2008 | Men's Tennis

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Feb. 24, 2008

Chapel Hill, NC - The nationally 8th-ranked UNC Tar Heels won their third straight match over a top-25 opponent Sunday afternoon, defeating the nation's 21st ranked team, VCU, at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. UNC came back from losing the doubles point to sweep the singles matches, closing the match out at the final score of 4-1. The comeback marks the first time the Tar Heels have rallied for a victory after losing the doubles point since April 2006.

The solid play of the Tar Heels was anchored by veteran leadership, as the singles sweep was sparked by a 6-1, 6-1 victory by senior Will Plyler and was completed when fellow senior Benjamin Carlotti closed out a back and forth match at the number one spot with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win. Straight-sets victories by sophomore Clay Donato and junior Taylor Fogleman were sandwiched in between Plyler and Carlotti's wins, at the scores of 6-2, 6-4, and 6-4, 6-1, respectively. Fogleman went on an impressive tear in his match, as he won 8 of the final 9 games played to put the team score at 3-1. While newly nationally ranked sophomores Stefan Hardy (#75) and Chris Kearney (#66) didn't finish their singles matches as the team match had already been decided, their stellar play ensured that VCU didn't finish the match with any leads in singles, as Hardy was tied with his opponent 4-6, 7-6(8) and Kearney was ahead 3-6, 7-6(2), 4-2.

Despite losing the doubles point, the Tar Heels still showed promise in that area, as the number two team of Fogleman and Hardy defeated VCU's 48th nationally ranked team of Thibault Charron and Martin Schulhauser 8-6 to open up doubles play. Seniors David Stone and Lenny Gullan also provided valuable veteran leadership in nearly defeating the nation's 24th ranked pair of Emil Lindgren and Sebastian Ripoll in a tough 8(2)-9 loss.

North Carolina will now take on 36th-ranked Auburn in a 2:30 PM match on Tuesday. The match will take place at the Tar Heels home tennis facilities, the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

#8 North Carolina 4, #21 VCU 1

Records: UNC 7-3, VCU 9-2

Doubles

#1 Lindgren/Ripoll [#24] (VCU) d. David Stone / Lenny Gullan (UNC) 9-8(2)

#2 Fogleman/Hardy (UNC) d. Charron/Schulhauser [#48] (VCU) 8-6

#3 Bobo Delemark/Stepan Siska (VCU) d. Donato/Kearney (UNC) 8-5

Order of match finish: #2, #3, #1

Singles

#1 Benjamin Carlotti (UNC) d. Martin Schulhauser (VCU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2

#2 Stefan Hardy [#75] (UNC) vs. Damien Lacombe (VCU) 4-6, 7-6(8)

#3 Clay Donato (UNC) d. Thibault Charron (VCU) 6-2, 6-4

#4 Chris Kearney [#66] (UNC) led Emil Lindgren (VCU) 3-6, 7-6(2), 4-2