University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Ready For ACC Opener Against Wolfpack
March 17, 2011 | Men's Tennis
March 17, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- The No. 22 North Carolina men's tennis team is gearing up for the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play, which starts Friday at Pullen Park in Raleigh against local rivals No. 48 N.C. State.
The young season has been one of highs and lows for the Tar Heels (5-4), who have faced seven top 30 opponents in nine matches.
After winning a tight match against ACC foe and No. 18 Georgia Tech in the ITA Kickoff, North Carolina was dropped by No. 8 Georgia the next day. They picked up an easy home victory over Navy but followed that with three straight losses against ranked opponents. First, the No. 26 Auburn Tigers topped the Heels 7-0 in Alabama. Then No. 5 Ohio State came to Chapel Hill and left with a 6-1 victory, before No. 21 Notre Dame beat the Heels by a 5-2 score in South Bend.
Lately, the Tar Heels have found their stride, winning two consecutive road matches over Vanderbilt and No. 3 Texas. In the latter match, North Carolina snapped a 29-match home winning streak for the Longhorns, dominating singles for a 5-2 team victory. Head coach Sam Paul said tough competition early will only help his team build confidence for the stretch run.
"These days, everybody's good," Paul said. "We've played good teams and we'll play good teams in the ACC. Getting wins against teams like Texas is big for our group of guys."
The insertion of junior transfer Joey Burkhardt into the lineup before the Texas match was a huge boost for a young North Carolina team, and his experience will be key going forward. Senior Stefan Hardy, coming off his first-ever ACC Player of the Week nod, will lead the Tar Heels into the ACC play on the heels of wins over ranked players in singles and doubles against Texas. Talented sophomore Jose Hernandez, ranked No. 35 by the ITA, has struggled to maintain his freshman form since moving to No. 1 singles in the offseason, but is coming off a confidence-boosting win over No. 29 Ed Corrie of Texas.
William Parker, who didn't compete in a dual match in 2010, has won three straight singles matches and made an impact on the doubles side. If the Tar Heels want to compete against the likes of No. 2 Virginia, No. 10 Duke and No. 25 Miami in the coming months, they'll need young talent like Parker to stabilize the bottom half of the lineup.
The 2011 squad will look to find the same winning ways in the ACC that brought them success in 2010. Last year, the Tar Heels finished 7-3, good for third place in the ACC.
North Carolina opens the conference season at N.C. State (8-4), a team that the Tar Heels have had success against recently. The Tar Heels have defeated the Wolfpack in three out of their last four regular season matchups, including a 6-1 win to kick off ACC play in 2010.
Players Mentioned
