MTEN Blanks Hokies, 7-0

Sunday, March 10

Chapel Hill

1 PM

North Carolina

#65 Virginia Tech

Karl Poling & Will Peters

Photo by: Ainsley E. Fauth

March 10, 2024 | Men's Tennis

By: Matt Bowers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— North Carolina freshman Patrick Schoen won the clinching singles match as the Tar Heels swept Virginia Tech, 7-0, on a breezy Sunday afternoon at the Chewning Tennis Center.

The 30th-ranked Tar Heels improved to 9-4 overall this season, 3-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carolina is 9-2 at home in 2024 and has won six of its last seven matches.

The Hokies, ranked No. 65 this week, dropped to 7-5, 0-4.

UNC improved to 37-3 all-time against Virginia Tech.

How It Happened
Doubles
• The Princeton connection of Will Peters and Karl Poling (both of whom are graduate transfers who formerly played for the Tigers) breezed to a 6-2 win over Michael Shepheard and Alex Ix at No. 3 doubles for the first result of the day.
• Tar Heels Peter Murphy and Patrick Schoen won the clincher at No. 2 doubles, 6-3 over Matt Harper and Alberto Orso.
• Virginia Tech's No. 1 doubles team of Ryan Fishback and Maxime St. Hilaire, ranked 80th nationally, beat Benjamin Kittay and Phillip Jordan, 6-4, in a match that ended simultaneously with the clincher at No. 2.

Singles
• Jordan took the first singles decision of the day, sweeping St. Hilaire, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 2 for a 2-0 Tar Heel lead.
• Minutes later, Poling broke Hugo Maia to win the second set at No. 3. Poling won the match, 6-1, 6-3, for a 3-0 UNC advantage.
• Several minutes later, Schoen clinched the team victory for Carolina with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 over Ix.
• The singles matches at No. 1, 5 and 6 all went to a 10-point tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set.
• Anuj Watane claimed a victory over Orso, 4-6, 6-0, 1-0, at No. 6. Watane dominated in the tiebreaker, 10-4.
• Kittay made the score 6-0 Tar Heels with his win over the #60-ranked Fishback at No. 1. Kittay cruised to a 6-1 win at No. 1 singles over #60 Fishback, winning the set with a break in the final game. Fishback took the second set by a score of 7-6 (3), but Kittay won the tiebreaker third set, 10-3.
• Peters wrapped up the day with his come-from-behind, 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) win over Benjamin Pomeranets.

UNC 4 VT 0 Schoen 6-2, 6-2 pic.twitter.com/bJqQZK0X5K
— Carolina Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) March 10, 2024

Virginia Tech vs North Carolina
3/10/2024 at Chapel Hill, N.C. (Chewning Tennis Center)
#30 North Carolina 7, #65 Virginia Tech 0

Singles competition
1. #125 Benjamin Kittay (NC) def. #60 Ryan Fishback (VT) 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-3)
2. #110 Phillip Jordan (NC) def. Maxime St. Hilaire (VT) 6-2, 6-1
3. #80 Karl Poling (NC) def. Hugo Maia (VT) 6-1, 6-3
4. Patrick Schoen (NC) def. Alex Ix (VT) 6-2, 6-2
5. #106 Will Peters (NC) def. Benjamin Pomeranets (VT) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Anuj Watane (NC) def. Alberto Orso (VT) 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-4)

Doubles competition
1. #80 Ryan Fishback/Maxime St. Hilaire (VT) def. Benjamin Kittay/Phillip Jordan (NC) 6-4 2. Patrick Schoen/Peter Murphy (NC) def. Matt Harper/Alberto Orso (VT) 6-3
3. Will Peters/Karl Poling (NC) def. Michael Shepheard/Alex Ix (VT) 6-2

Match Notes:
Virginia Tech 7-5, 0-4 ACC; National ranking #65
North Carolina 9-4, 3-1 ACC; National ranking #30
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,3,4,6,1,5)
T-2:38 A-125