University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Boston College
Carolina Blanks BC To Reach 20-Wins Mark
April 14, 2017 | Men's Tennis
“This was a good performance for us,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “I liked the way we got on top of the doubles. The guys have been working hard.”
Next up for Carolina is the final home match of the regular season, on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels will celebrate Senior Day, honoring Jack Murray, Ronnie Schneider and Chad Hoskins between the doubles point and the start of singles play, at approximately 1 p.m.
Friday against the Eagles, who fell to 4-14 (0-9 ACC) with the loss, UNC claimed the doubles point with a 6-0 win by Murray and freshman Simon Soendergaard on Court 2 and a 6-2 win by junior Robert Kelly and freshman William Blumberg on Court 1. Schneider and sophomore Anu Kodali led 5-2 on Court 3 when the point wrapped up.
In singles, the Tar Heels quickly jumped out to leads on all six courts. The first to finish was Blumberg, who won 6-1, 6-0 against Derek Austin on Court 2 in a speedy 41 minutes. Murray came off two minutes later, beating Alexander Chieffalo 6-0, 6-0 on Court 5 to put the Tar Heels up 3-0.
Kodali, playing at No. 6, provided the clinching point, beating Conor Mullins 6-1, 6-1 to give UNC the win. Kelly, on Court 3, wrapped up a 6-1, 6-3 win over Hank Workman a minute later to make it 5-0 Tar Heels.
On Court 1, Schneider waited through a short injury delay by BC's Aidan McNulty before winning 6-2, 6-1. That left just Soendergaard in action for UNC, with the entire crowd – fans, families, Carolina Athletics staff and fellow student-athletes – gathered around Court 4 to catch a bit more Tar Heel tennis on a gorgeous afternoon. Eagles junior Ken Mukai, holding serve, returned a shot into the net at 12:51 to give Soendergaard a 6-4, 6-3 win and UNC the 7-0 shutout.
Of the seniors being honored Sunday, two – Murray and Schneider – have been starters throughout their careers and instrumental in getting UNC to the 20-wins mark for the fourth time in four years. Both have earned All-America honors and helped Carolina to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in each of the past three years. “They're the best class I've had,” said Paul, listing the three Elite Eights and the ITA National Team Indoor Championship that the Tar Heels have to their credit over the past four years. “And their work ethic is amazing. It's been an honor to have them here. We'll miss them all the way around – this is a special, special group.”
No. 13 UNC 7, Boston College 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (2,1)
1. #8 Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Austin/Workman (BC), 6-2
2. Soendergaard/Murray (UNC) d. Mukai/McNulty (BC), 6-0
3. Kodali/Schneider (UNC) vs. C. Mullins/Melvin (BC), 5-2 unfinished
Singles
Order of match finish: (2,5,6,3,1,4)
1. #17 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) d. Aidan McNulty (BC), 6-2, 6-1
2. #40 William Blumberg (UNC) d. Derek Austin (BC), 6-1, 6-0
3. #107 Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Hank Workman (BC), 6-1, 6-3
4. Simon Soendergaard (UNC), d. Kent Mukai (BC), 6-4, 6-3
5. Jack Murray (UNC) d. Alexander Chieffalo (BC), 6-0, 6-0
6. Anu Kodali (UNC) d. Conor Mullins (BC), 6-1, 6-1
Records: UNC 20-3 (7-2 ACC), Boston College 4-14 (0-9)
Players Mentioned
