University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Louisville
Tar Heels Sweep Louisville In ACC Home Opener
March 18, 2016 | Men's Tennis
“I liked the way we came out in doubles at one and two, really good energy,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “That set the tone for the whole day. I liked the way we played, up and down the lineup. A couple of slips here and there, but overall it was a good performance.
“Louisville's got a well-coached team – their coach [Rex Ecarma] has been around a long time and he does a really good job of getting those guys prepared. We knew they'd fight us.”
Tar Heel juniors Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray teamed at No. 2 doubles to earn UNC's first win of the day, 6-0. At No. 1, senior Brett Clark and sophomore Robert Kelly, ranked fourth nationally, won 6-2 to give the point to the Tar Heels.
In singles, all six Tar Heels won in straight sets. Kelly was the first to finish, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 against Brandon Lancaster. Clark won at No. 2 by the same score, beating George Hedley. Murray clinched the match with a win over Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff at No. 3, toughing out a hard-fought second set for a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Schneider wrapped up next, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1, leaving two freshmen, Blaine Boyden and Anu Kodali, in action at five and six. Boyden beat Jeffrey Brown, 6-4, 6-4 then Kodali made it a sweep with a 6-4, 6-3 win.
“At five and six, the freshmen did a good job of sticking in there and getting the job done,” Schneider said. “It was a good start to the weekend and now we'll get ready for State. They always give us their best.”
The Tar Heels travel to Raleigh on Sunday to face No. 33 ranked NC State. The ACC match begins at 1 p.m. It will be the second meeting of the season for UNC and NC State, which also played during the ITA Kickoff Weekend in January, when the Tar Heels won 4-2 in Chapel Hill. “We're looking forward to playing NC State again,” Paul said. “They've got a heck of a team and they gave us everything we could handle the last time here, so it will be a great match in Raleigh.”
March 18, 2016
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 2 North Carolina 7, Louisville 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (2,3,1)
1. #4 Robert Kelly/Brett Clark (NC) def. Alex Gornet/Jeffrey Brown (LOU) 6-2
2. Ronnie Schneider/Jack Murray (NC) def. George Hedley/C. Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) 6-0
3. Sean Donohue/Courtney Lock (LOU) def. Andrew Gores/Blaine Boyden (NC) 6-2
Singles
Order of match finish: (4,2,3,1,5,6)
1. #10 Ronnie Schneider (NC) def. Alex Gornet (LOU) 6-1, 6-2
2. #23 Brett Clark (NC) def. George Hedley (LOU) 6-1, 6-2
3. #41 Jack Murray (NC) def. C. Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) 6-1, 6-3
4. #80 Robert Kelly (NC) def. Brandon Lancaster (LOU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Blaine Boyden (NC) def. Jeffrey Brown (LOU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Anu Kodali (NC) def. Sean Donohue (LOU) 6-4, 6-3
Records: North Carolina 17-1 (2-1 ACC), Louisville 9-10 (0-5 ACC)
Players Mentioned
