University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Roll To 5-2 Win Over No. 27 FSU
April 2, 2017 | Men's Tennis
“Florida State is a really dangerous team, and I'm happy with the win today,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “We're getting better. This is the best outdoor match we've played.”
The Tar Heels earned the doubles point with a 6-3 win on Court 1 and a 6-2 decision on Court 3. Freshman William Blumberg teamed with junior Robert Kelly for the win at the top doubles spot then rolled to the first point in singles, beating #52 Aziz Dougaz 6-1, 6-3 to improve to 14-2 this spring and earn his sixth win over a ranked player.
FSU claimed the next point to draw within one, 2-1, as Seminole Lucas Poullain downed Tar Heel freshman Simon Soendergaard on Court 4, 6-3, 6-1.
UNC sophomore Blaine Boyden then won on Court 6, improving his season mark to 15-1 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jake Albo. With the Tar Heels up 3-1 and needing just a point to clinch, Paul had to feel good about the chances: the three players still active – Kelly and senior Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray – were the team's three returning All-Americans.
“You feel pretty good as a coach to look down and know if they're going to get you, they have to beat you at those spots,” Paul said. “Those guys have done so much for our program.”
Just after Boyden wrapped up, Schneider celebrated a 6-4 win in the second set of his match on Court 1, sending it to a third set after having fallen 7-5 in the first.
On Court 5, Murray had won his first set 6-3 but at that point trailed 4-3 in the second. Kelly, playing on Court 3, also trailed at that point, but was the one to clinch the match. After winning 7-5 in his first set, he was down 6-5 in the second but fought back to force a tiebreaker, which he won 7-2 to give Carolina a 4-1 lead and the ACC win.
Just a minute later, Murray took his second set 6-4 to give the Tar Heels a 5-1 lead. That left only Court 1 in play, with 19th-ranked Schneider battling FSU's Guy Iradukunda, ranked No. 125. With all of the other players gathered on the adjacent court to root on their teammates, the teams' top players went into a third-set tiebreaker and Iradukunda won it 7-3. “That was a high level match,” Paul said. “Ronnie had opportunities to get a break point here, break point here and that kid came up with some big shots.”
Next up for the Tar Heels is a pair of ACC road matches. UNC plays at Clemson on Friday and at Virginia next Sunday.
April 2, 2017
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center
Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 11 UNC 5, No. 27 Florida State 2
Doubles
Order of match finish: (1,3)
1. #17 Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Gracia/Poullain (FSU), 6-2
2. Soendergaard/Murray (UNC) vs. Whitehurst/Whitehurst (FSU), 5-3
3. Kodali/Schneider (UNC) d. Iradukunda/Haffey (FSU), 6-2
Singles
Order of match finish: (2,4,6,3,5,1)
1. #125 Guy Iradukunda (FSU) d. #19 Ronnie Schneider (UNC), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3)
2. #31 William Blumberg (UNC) d. #52 Aziz Dougaz (FSU), 6-1, 6-3
3. #54 Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Jose Gracia (FSU), 7-5, 7-6(2)
4. Lucas Poullain (FSU) d. Simon Soendergaard (UNC), 6-3, 6-1
5. Jack Murray (UNC) d. Rana-Roop Singh Bhullar (FSU), 6-3, 6-4
6. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Jake Albo (FSU), 6-3, 6-1
Records: UNC 18-2 (5-1 ACC), FSU 13-7 (3-3 ACC)
Players Mentioned
