University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Host NC State, Florida State To Begin ACC Slate
March 5, 2015 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 19th-ranked North Carolina men's tennis team will kick off its ACC slate on Friday against rival NC State, followed by a matchup with Florida State on Sunday. Both matches will be at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Carolina enters this weekend's competition with an 11-5 mark and coming off a successful doubleheader against No. 33 Minnesota and The Citadel on Saturday. The doubleheader served as a respite of sorts for the Tar Heels, who had faced five top-10 opponents away from home before returning to Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center to take on the Gophers and Bulldogs.
Sophomore Ronnie Schneider returned to his winning ways following a tough stretch with two straight-set victories on Saturday. Schneider, ranked 27th nationally, clinched the Tar Heels' 4-1 victory over Minnesota and cruised to another singles win against The Citadel later in the day. The Bloomington, Ind. product received ACC Player of the Week honors for his bounce-back performances.
The Tar Heels have also gotten steady production from junior Brett Clark of late. A Naples, Fla. native, Clark boasts a four-match winning streak in singles dating back to the Carolina's showdown with Texas on Feb. 20. He is 9-2 overall this spring.
UNC will face a stiff test in No. 32 NC State, which brings a 10-3 record to Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack boast wins against two top-40 teams in South Carolina (No. 40) and Northwestern (No. 21) and are led by No. 62 Austin Powell in singles.
Florida State, ranked 29th in the ITA's most recent poll, will also pose a challenge to the Tar Heels. The Seminoles enter Sunday with an 11-3 mark and wins against Alabama, Denver and Michigan. Prior to coming to Chapel Hill, Florida State will visit No. 33 Louisville on Friday.
“We know NC State has a great team,” said UNC head coach Sam Paul. “They are a very senior oriented team, and we're are looking forward to playing them. Florida State has a really good program too. We have two tough matches to start the ACC season.”
The Tar Heels were able to notch a sweep of NC State last season, taking the regular season contest in Raleigh 4-3 before posting a 4-0 triumph over the Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament. UNC also bested the Seminoles in the teams' only meeting last season, tallying a 5-2 victory in Tallahassee.
Friday's match versus the Wolfpack is scheduled for 3 p.m., and Sunday's contest against Florida State is set for 1 p.m.
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with NC State 87-8 and the all-time series with the Seminoles 31-10.
Players Mentioned
