North Carolina
NC State (ITA Kickoff Weekend)
Tar Heels Earn Trip To National Team Indoors
January 24, 2016 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 10 North Carolina edged conference rival NC State 4-2 in men's tennis action Sunday afternoon at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center to earn a spot in the upcoming National Team Indoors, set for Feb. 12-15 in Charlottesville, Va.
“It's good to advance,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “NC State played really hard. We've got some work to do – we've just got to keep getting better every single day. Now we get that opportunity at National Team Indoors.”
As has been the case in every match this spring, the Tar Heels (4-0) claimed the doubles point against the Wolfpack. UNC's Brett Clark and Robert Kelly, the nation's No. 1 ranked duo, won 6-0 to open the day. Junior Ronnie Schneider and freshman Blaine Boyden then claimed a 6-4 win at No. 3 to take the point.
NC State quickly evened the score, grabbing the first singles point at No. 2 with Nick Horton defeating UNC's Schneider 6-3, 6-1. But Kelly at No. 5 and Clark at No. 3 wrapped up straight-sets wins that pulled the Tar Heels to 3-1.
The next to finish was the No. 1 singles spot, where Wolfpack Simon Norenius edged Brayden Schnur 6-3, 6-4 to draw NC State back within one, 3-2.
The final two matches were at the four and six spots, both courts on which NC State had won the first set. The Tar Heels needed just one to pull out the win, and it was freshman Anu Kodali who stepped up to claim the victory for the Tar Heels. After falling 6-2 in the first set, he won 6-3 and 6-3 over Igor Saveljic to seal the win. UNC junior Jack Murray's match was suspended at 5-5 in the second set. NC State's Thomas Weigel won the first set 7-6(4).
“Anu played really well at the end,” Paul said. “I left after he lost the first set and went over to the courts on the other side, so I didn't really see him, then I came back and obviously he was feeling a lot better. I really liked his body language and the way he finished that out. We had some freshmen step up – Bo (Boyden) stepped up in doubles today.”
The Tar Heels beat Indiana 4-1 on Saturday in first-round play, and NC State advanced with a 4-2 win over Drake.
“Robert and Brett had a very good weekend,” Paul said. “Those two guys were the outstanding performers on our team, but it's a team sport. We look forward to playing in the national team indoors. We've got to get everyone playing well to do well in that tournament, and we will.
The Tar Heels will host two highly-ranked nonconference opponents in the meantime, with No. 7 Illinois visiting on Saturday, Jan. 30, and No. 2 Oklahoma on Feb. 7.
#10 North Carolina 4, #40 NC State 2
Doubles (Team Winning Majority Of Matches Earns One Team Point)
Order of match finish: (1,3)
1. Robert Kelly/Brett Clark (UNC) def. Saveljic/Saveljic (NCST), 6-0
2. Brayden Schnur/Jack Murray (UNC) vs. Norenius.Horton (NCST), 5-5 DNF
3. Ronnie Schneider/Blaine Boyden (UNC) def. Mike Ogden/Weigel (NCST), 6-4
Singles (One Team Point Per Singles Match)
Order of match finish: (2,5,3,1,6)
1. Simon Norenius (NCST) def. Brayden Schnur (UNC), 6-3, 6-4
2. Nick Horton (NCST) def. Ronnie Schneider (UNC), 6-3, 6-1
3. Brett Clark (UNC) def. Ivan Saveljic (NCST), 6-4, 6-2
4. Jack Murray (UNC) vs. Thomas Weigel (NCST), 7-6(4), 5-5 DNF
5. Robert Kelly (UNC) vs. Shoti Meparidze (NCST), 6-4, 6-4
6. Anu Kodali (UNC) def. Igor Saveljic (NCST), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Records: North Carolina 4-0, NC State 4-1
Players Mentioned
