North Carolina
UNC Greensboro
Carolina Runs Record To 3-0 With Shutout Of UNCG
January 17, 2017 | Men's Tennis
“Greensboro has got a good team,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “In doubles, we learned some things that we need to do a little bit better. Singles we did some good things and I also saw some things we have to keep working on.”
In doubles, the No. 2 duo of seniors Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray were first off, winning 6-1 in just 25 minutes. The other teams played on for 10 more minutes before freshman William Blumberg and junior Robert Kelly earned a hard-fought 6-4 win at No. 1 to give UNC the first point. The No. 3 match was suspended tied at 5-5.
In singles, Kelly (No. 4) and Blumberg (No. 2) earned quick wins to put UNC up 3-0. Although most of the drama came in the final singles match of the day, on court 3, the clinching point came from sophomore Arturo Schmidt. Playing at No. 6, he beat Ian Melnik 6-0, 6-1 to put UNC up 4-0 and earn the win.
With both teams seeking early-season experience, they chose to continue the match and thus set up a landmark win. At No. 1, senior Ronnie Schneider beat Connor Thompson 6-3, 6-0 for his 100th career singles victory.
Sophomore Blaine Boyden then wrapped up a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5, leaving all attention trained on court 3, where a pair of seniors – Carolina's Murray and UNCG's William Albright – split the first two sets. With the team result already decided, they played a tiebreaker instead of a third set. The other players gathered on the adjacent court to cheer on their teammates, who staged a back-and-forth battle before Murray delivered an ace to win it 13-11.
The Tar Heels have the rest of the week off before a pair of home matches on Sunday (Tennessee-Chattanooga at 12:30 p.m. and Citadel at 6 p.m.), and they'll use that time to improve based on the three matches they've already played. “We'll work on some doubles stuff, some stuff we've got on film, some singles stuff we talk about with the guys to keep reminding them,” Paul said. “We'll just try to keep learning.”
Jan. 16, 2017
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 9 North Carolina 7, UNCG 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (2,1)
1. Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d.
2. Murray/Schneider (UNC) d.
3. Boyden/Kodali (UNC) d.
Singles
Order of match finish: (4,2,6,1,5,3)
1. Ronnie Schneider (UNC) d. Connor Thompson (UNCG), 6-3, 6-0
2. William Blumberg (UNC) d. Marcus Vidgren (UNCG), 6-0, 6-3
3. Jack Murray (UNC) d. William Albright (UNCG), 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (13-11)
4. Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Jack Burkill (UNCG), 6-1, 6-1
5. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Warren Bryan (UNCG), 6-2, 6-3
6. Arturo Schmidt (UNC) d. Ian Melnik (UNCG), 6-0, 6-1
Players Mentioned
