North Carolina
VCU
Tar Heels Move To 11-0 With 4-2 Win Over No. 20 VCU
February 18, 2006 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 18, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina held off a late-match rally to defeat the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 4-2 Saturday in a match held at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. With the win the Tar Heels, ranked 30th in the country, move to 11-0 on the year continuing their best start since 1973. Carolina began that season 13-0. No. 20 VCU falls to 10-3 on the year.
Senior Brad Pomeroy was a key player in keeping the Tar Heels' record unmarred this season. The Asheville, N.C. native claimed both his 60th career singles win and 70th career doubles victory in the win over the Rams.
"We certainly expected a tough match," said Carolina head coach Sam Paul. "I think they're the most talented team that we've played, and I'm very proud of my team and how hard they fought today. It was a total team victory."
Carolina started the match strong, winning the first three points. The Tar Heels took the doubles point by winning three straight matches and then scored singles victories at No. 2 and No. 3.
Carolina's pair of Sebastian Guejman and Derek Porter scored the first doubles win for the Tar Heels at No. 3 with an impressive 8-3 victory over VCU's Emil Lindgren and Sebastian Ripoll. The match was tied at 3-3 before Porter and Guejman won five straight games to close out the match. Porter and Guejman move to 8-0 on the year with the win.
At the No. 2 doubles spot, Lenny Gullan and David Stone took down the Rams' tandem of Sergi Arumi and Francesc Lleal 8-5. Down 5-6 in the match, Gullan and Stone broke Arumi, and Gullan served out the match to clinch the doubles point for the Tar Heels.
Raian Luchici and Brad Pomeroy, the top doubles team in the country, also posted a doubles win for Carolina, defeating Arnaud Lecloerec and Petr Olsak 9-7.
Carolina would continue its success, taking the first two singles points to move to a 3-0 lead in the match. Senior Derek Porter was first off the court for the Tar Heels at No. 2 posting a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Olsak. Fellow senior Pomeroy followed suit as he defeated VCU's Lleal 6-4, 6-3.
With the match seemingly locked up for the Tar Heels, VCU mounted a comeback by taking the next two points. The Rams' first point came from Lecloerec, ranked No. 51 in the nation, as he upset fifth-ranked Luchici 6-4, 6-4.
VCU scored its second point after a victory at No. 6 by Lindgren. Lindgren took down Carolina's Will Plyler in three sets 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3.
With the Tar Heels up 3-2 in the match, sophomore Benjamin Carlotti provided the clinching point by defeating VCU's Damien Lacombe in three sets. With the match tied 2-2 in the final set, Carlotti, ranked 93rd in the country, broke Lacombe's serve and went on to win the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
The Tar Heels return to action Saturday, March 4 with a doubleheader against Charlotte and Navy at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. Head coach Sam Paul currently stands at 199 career victories and will be looking to earn his 200th victory. Action will being at 11 a.m. against Charlotte, and the match against Navy will follow at 4 p.m.
No. 30 North Carolina 4, No. 20 Virginia Commonwealth 2
Doubles (team winning the majority of doubles matches wins one point)
No. 1 #1 Raian Luchici / Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Arnaud Lecloerec / Petr Olsak (VCU) 9-7
No. 2 Lenny Gullan / David Stone (UNC) d. Sergi Arumi / Francesc Lleal (VCU) 8-5
No. 3 Sebastian Guejman / Derek Porter (UNC) d. Emil Lindgren / Sebastian Ripoll (VCU) 8-3
*Carolina wins doubles point
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
No. 1 #51 Arnaud Lecloerec (VCU) d. #5 Raian Luchici (UNC) 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Derek Porter (UNC) d. Petr Oslak (VCU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Francesc Lleal (VCU) 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Sebastian Guejman (UNC) led Georges-Alexandre Israel (VCU) 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 Did Not Finish
No. 5 #93 Benjamin Carlotti (UNC) d. Damien Lancombe (VCU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
No. 6 Emil Lindgren (VCU) d. Will Plyler (UNC) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 6, 5*
*Clinched match
Updated Team Records: UNC 11-0, VCU 10-3
Players Mentioned
