North Carolina
Maryland
#18 Tar Heels Defeat Terrapins 4-3 For 7th Straight Victory
March 26, 2010 | Men's Tennis
March 26, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The Tar Heel men's tennis team is becoming accustomed to performing under pressure, winning another tightly-contested match Friday afternoon, this time against ACC foe Maryland. The Heels are now on a seven-game win streak.
With the 4-3 victory, the #18-ranked Heels are 12-2 (2-0) on the season. The Terrapins move to 13-5 (1-3) and have dropped three consecutive ACC match-ups.
The strong doubles play that has become characteristic of this year's team was again on display Friday. The No. 2 pairing of Brennan Boyajian and Cameron Ahari defeated their opponents 8-3. Jose Hernandez and Andrew Crone then clinched the point at No. 3 with a decisive 8-2 victory. At No. 1, the #54 doubles pair of Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy finished the Terrapins off, winning 8-2.
In singles, UNC and Maryland exchanged points as five of the six matches went the full three sets. At No. 1, #39 Clay Donato regained his form against #124 Tommy Laine, winning 6-4, 0-6, 6-1. Then Maryland grabbed a point of their own at No. 4, where Brennan Boyajian was defeated by Maryland's Sergio Wyss 0-6, 6-0, 6-3.
At No. 2 singles, #85 Jose Hernandez continued his outstanding play with a 7-6, 7-5 victory over Jesse Kiuru. Maryland came right back at No. 3 singles as John Collins took out Stefan Hardy 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. With only two seeds left, the Heels maintained a slim 3-2 lead in the match.
The Terrapins tied the overall score at 3-3 when Ryan Lissner defeated Cameron Ahari 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 6 singles. Again the match came down to Andrew Crone, who was playing at the No. 5 flight for the first time in three matches. Crone won the first set then dropped the second before winning the third, his match and the dual match for Carolina with a timely tiebreaker.
The Tar Heels look to continue their hot streak as they take on Boston College in the second half of their weekend road trip at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 27 in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
#18 UNC 4, Maryland 3
Records: UNC 12-2, Maryland 13-5
Singles
1. #39 Clay Donato (UNC) d. #124 Tommy Laine (Maryland) 6-4, 0-6, 6-1
2. #85 Jose Hernandez (UNC) d. Jesse Kiuru (Maryland) 7-6, 7-5
3. John Collins (Maryland) d. Stefan Hardy (UNC) 6-2, 6-7, 7-5
4. Sergio Wyss (Maryland) d. #106 Brennan Boyajian (UNC) 0-6, 6-0, 6-3
5. Andrew Crone (UNC) d. Mathias Sarrazin (Maryland) 6-3, 6-7, 7-6
6. Ryan Lissner (Maryland) d. Cameron Ahari (UNC) 7-6, 2-6, 6-2
Doubles
1. #54 Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy (UNC) d. Jesse Kiuru and Tommy Laine (Maryland) 8-2
2. Brennan Boyajian and Cameron Ahari (UNC) d. Ian Mansfield and Sergio Wyss 8-3
3. Jose Hernandez and Andrew Crone (UNC) d. Mathias Sarrazin and Graham Knowlton (Maryland) 8-2
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 2, 3, 1
Singles: 1, 4, 2, 3, 6, 5
Players Mentioned
