Sunday, April 7
Chapel Hill
12:00 PM
North Carolina
5
vs
0
Notre Dame
Tar Heel senior Blaine "Bo" Boyden with his parents Scott and Pam during Senior Day ceremonies.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina Celebrates Senior Day With 5-0 Win Over Notre Dame
April 7, 2019 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina men's tennis team celebrated a shutout win and a special senior Sunday on an overcast afternoon at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The Tar Heels honored Blaine Boyden, the lone senior on the 2018-19 roster, right after winning the doubles point then rolled on to a 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference win over No. 21 Notre Dame.
"What a great day, great crowd, great weather to honor a young man who has just been incredible," UNC coach Sam Paul said after the match.
North Carolina (16-4, 8-2 ACC) sped through the doubles point as though everyone was anxious to get to the Senior Day ceremony. It took sophomore Mac Kiger and junior Simon Soendergaard just 20 minutes to win 6-0 on Court 3. Shortly afterward, Boyden served for a 6-0 win on Court 1, teaming with junior William Blumberg to send UNC into singles play with a 1-0 lead. The Tar Heels' top doubles duo is now 9-0 in ACC doubles play this spring.
The team paused between doubles and singles play to honor Boyden, a business administration major from Raleigh who will graduate in May. "I've been coming to these matches since I was 10 years old, seeing the seniors get honored on Senior Day," Boyden, a graduate of Wakefield High School, said after the match. "It's surreal that I'm in those shoes now." With Scott and Pam Boyden flanking their son, UNC coach Sam Paul addressed the crowd and spoke of Boyden's success at Carolina, athletically, academically and as a leader on the team. "He's the ultimate team player," Paul told fans. "I'm honored to coach him."
Boyden raced to a win in his first set, 6-1 over William Howells on Court 4. The Tar Heels took first sets on five courts (the exception was Court 2, where freshman Brian Cernoch fell in a 10-8 tiebreaker) en route to the ACC win. Sophomore Benjamin Sigouin earned the first singles point, beating Axel Nefve 6-2, 6-3 on Court 1. Kiger wrapped up next with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Nathan Griffin on Court 6. Juniors Josh Peck and Simon Soendergaard finished almost simultaneously, with wins on Court 3 and Court 5, respectively, to make the final score 5-0.
In a nod to the Boyden family and Pam's battle with breast cancer during her son's time at UNC, the Tar Heel players all competed in bright pink socks. "That meant a lot to me," Boyden said. "That just goes to show what the Carolina tennis family is all about. They knew how much that meant to me and my mom."
Boyden is now 97-20 as a part of that family, with the most significant milestones in program history happening during his four years. He was a member of UNC's first national championship in 2016 (the ITA National Team Indoor Championship) and won two crucial singles matches to help the Tar Heels reach the 2017 NCAA finals. Last season Carolina earned a share of the ACC regular-season title with a school-record 11 ACC wins.
"His work ethic is incredible and his dedication to his team is incredible," Paul said. "He's made himself a great player and a great student. He never cares about himself, he just cares about the team. He's a special young man."
And he's not finished yet. The Tar Heels close out the ACC regular season with a pair of road matches, at Virginia Friday and at Louisville on Sunday. After that it's the ACC Championship, in Cary, N.C., April 18-21. NCAA Tournament play begins at campus sites on May 3.
"Today is super special in the sense that they're honoring my career, but we've still got a lot of work ahead of us," Boyden said. "We have big goals."
No. 11 UNC 5, No. 21 Notre Dame 0
Singles
Order of finish: 1,6,3,5
Doubles
Order of finish: 3,1
Records: UNC 16-4, 8-2 ACC; Notre Dame 12-13, 3-7 ACC
"What a great day, great crowd, great weather to honor a young man who has just been incredible," UNC coach Sam Paul said after the match.
North Carolina (16-4, 8-2 ACC) sped through the doubles point as though everyone was anxious to get to the Senior Day ceremony. It took sophomore Mac Kiger and junior Simon Soendergaard just 20 minutes to win 6-0 on Court 3. Shortly afterward, Boyden served for a 6-0 win on Court 1, teaming with junior William Blumberg to send UNC into singles play with a 1-0 lead. The Tar Heels' top doubles duo is now 9-0 in ACC doubles play this spring.
The team paused between doubles and singles play to honor Boyden, a business administration major from Raleigh who will graduate in May. "I've been coming to these matches since I was 10 years old, seeing the seniors get honored on Senior Day," Boyden, a graduate of Wakefield High School, said after the match. "It's surreal that I'm in those shoes now." With Scott and Pam Boyden flanking their son, UNC coach Sam Paul addressed the crowd and spoke of Boyden's success at Carolina, athletically, academically and as a leader on the team. "He's the ultimate team player," Paul told fans. "I'm honored to coach him."
Boyden raced to a win in his first set, 6-1 over William Howells on Court 4. The Tar Heels took first sets on five courts (the exception was Court 2, where freshman Brian Cernoch fell in a 10-8 tiebreaker) en route to the ACC win. Sophomore Benjamin Sigouin earned the first singles point, beating Axel Nefve 6-2, 6-3 on Court 1. Kiger wrapped up next with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Nathan Griffin on Court 6. Juniors Josh Peck and Simon Soendergaard finished almost simultaneously, with wins on Court 3 and Court 5, respectively, to make the final score 5-0.
Today we support Bo, Pam and Scott Boyden and cancer survivors everywhere pic.twitter.com/7h3AybzoRk
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) April 7, 2019
In a nod to the Boyden family and Pam's battle with breast cancer during her son's time at UNC, the Tar Heel players all competed in bright pink socks. "That meant a lot to me," Boyden said. "That just goes to show what the Carolina tennis family is all about. They knew how much that meant to me and my mom."
Boyden is now 97-20 as a part of that family, with the most significant milestones in program history happening during his four years. He was a member of UNC's first national championship in 2016 (the ITA National Team Indoor Championship) and won two crucial singles matches to help the Tar Heels reach the 2017 NCAA finals. Last season Carolina earned a share of the ACC regular-season title with a school-record 11 ACC wins.
"His work ethic is incredible and his dedication to his team is incredible," Paul said. "He's made himself a great player and a great student. He never cares about himself, he just cares about the team. He's a special young man."
Boyden reflects on his Tar Heel career; Blumberg on the qualities that make Boyden a special leader @GoHeels pic.twitter.com/gWxphp5avg
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) April 8, 2019
And he's not finished yet. The Tar Heels close out the ACC regular season with a pair of road matches, at Virginia Friday and at Louisville on Sunday. After that it's the ACC Championship, in Cary, N.C., April 18-21. NCAA Tournament play begins at campus sites on May 3.
"Today is super special in the sense that they're honoring my career, but we've still got a lot of work ahead of us," Boyden said. "We have big goals."
No. 11 UNC 5, No. 21 Notre Dame 0
Singles
Order of finish: 1,6,3,5
- #35 Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) d. Axel Nefve (ND), 6-2, 6-3
- Brian Cernoch (UNC) v. #112 Guillermo Cabrera (ND), 6-7(8-10), 4-2
- #104 Josh Peck (UNC) d. Matt Gamble (ND), 6-3, 6-4
- Blaine Boyden (UNC) v. William Howells (ND), 6-1, 5-5
- Simon Soendergaard (UNC) d. Grayson Broudus (ND), 7-5, 6-3
- Mac Kiger (UNC) d. Nate Griffin (ND), 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
Order of finish: 3,1
- Blumberg/Boyden d. Gamble/Nefve (ND), 6-0
- Cernoch/Sigouin (UNC) v. Cabrera/Howells (ND), 3-2
- Kiger/Soendergaard (UNC) d. Broadus/Rayl (ND), 6-0
Records: UNC 16-4, 8-2 ACC; Notre Dame 12-13, 3-7 ACC
Players Mentioned
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