North Carolina
Bucknell
Tar Heels Kick Off Spring With Wins
January 14, 2017 | Men's Tennis
“We have a different and younger team this year,” said senior Ronnie Schneider, who last year played on a UNC roster that was two-thirds juniors and seniors. “There are some areas we can work on, especially in doubles, but mostly it was great for the freshmen to get their feet wet today.”
William Blumberg, a freshman who enrolled at UNC for the spring semester, played No. 1 singles and doubles and finished the day without a defeat. He and junior Robert Kelly picked up two wins at the top doubles spot. In singles, Blumberg made his collegiate debut with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bucknell's Daniel Wright. In the afternoon, he led Wofford's Haris Poric 6-1, 5-2 when the match was sealed.
Kelly played No. 2 singles against Bucknell, winning 6-0, 6-1. Schneider, who returned to campus on Thursday after playing a pair of tournaments in California to kick off the year, took over the No. 2 spot in the afternoon and earned a 6-2, 6-0 win.
Senior Jack Murray earned a pair of convincing singles wins at No. 3, 6-0, 6-0 over Bucknell's Max Kane and 6-0, 6-2 over Wofford's Parks Schoen.
Sophomore Blaine Boyden also earned two singles wins, at No. 4 vs. Bucknell and No. 5 vs. Wofford. Sophomore Arturo Schmidt played in the morning match, beating Bucknell's Timber Erskine 6-4, 6-0.
Freshman Joshua Peck saw action in doubles, teaming with Boyden for a 6-0 win at No. 3 against Bucknell.
Carolina will play its third home match in a three-day span on Monday when it hosts UNC Greensboro. “I love playing these opening matches because it's good to get so much experience early on,” Murray said. “It's great to get in a lot of matches on top of what we do in practice, especially with such a young team.”
Monday's match beings at 4 p.m. and there is no charge for admission to Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Jan. 14, 2017
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 9 North Carolina 6, Bucknell 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (3,1)
1. Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Wrght/Vitiuc (BU), 6-1
2. Murray/Schneider (UNC) vs. Kane/Palmer (BU), 4-2
3. Boyden/Peck (UNC) d. Haase/McDonald (BU), 6-0
Singles
Order of match finish: (2,3,1,4,6)
1. William Blumberg (UNC) d. Daniel Wright (BU), 6-3, 6-1
2. Robert Kelly (UNC), d. Max Palmer (BU), 6-0, 6-1
3. Jack Murray (UNC) d. Max Kane (BU), 6-0, 6-0
4. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Bryan Adams (BU), 6-1, 6-2
5. Anu Kodali (UNC) vs. Ben Gerber (BU), 6-1, 3-2
6. Arturo Schmidt (UNC) d. Timber Erskine (BU), 6-4, 6-0
No. 9 North Carolina 4, Wofford 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (3,1)
1. Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Poric/Cerbelli (WU), 6-2
2. Murray/Schneider (UNC) vs. Gostkowski/Chousa 4-3
3. Boyden/Kodali (UNC) vs. Schoen/Thomas, 6-1
Singles
Order of match finish: (2,3,1,4,6)
1. William Blumberg (UNC) vs. Haris Poric (WU), 6-1, 5-2
2. Ronnie Schneider (UNC) d. Lucas Cerbelli (WU), 6-2, 6-0
3. Jack Murray (UNC) d. Parks Schoen (WU), 6-0, 6-2
4. Robert Kelly (UNC) vs. Julian Chousa (WU), 6-0, 5-3
5. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Kyle Barr (WU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Anu Kodali (UNC) vs. Jack Thomas (WU), 6-1, 3-2
Records: North Carolina 2-0, Bucknell 0-2, Wofford 1-1
Players Mentioned
