UNC tennis player Vick loses match against his former school Ohio State

At Ohio State, men’s tennis player Nelson Vick didn’t feel he was receiving the playing time his hard work deserved.

Playing primarily on courts five and six in dual matches, Vick recorded a 31-8 career record in two years with the Buckeyes but felt he could do more to help his team — or a different one.

He transferred to North Carolina before the 2012 fall season, and Tuesday he had the chance to prove his worth against the Buckeyes, starting on court one for the Tar Heels against Division I’s No. 17 singles player — Ohio State’s Blaz Rola.

“I’ve improved a lot since I’ve been here,” Vick said. “Any weaknesses that I had prior to coming to the University of North Carolina, I feel like I’ve solidified them, and now they’re even weapons.”

It was still an uphill battle for Vick against Rola — who is also ranked No. 302 on the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour — and Vick lauded Rola’s talent.

“If I was a gambling man, I would pick Rola to win the NCAA Championship,” Vick said. “He’s by far one of the best players, year in, year out.”

Rola maintains his NCAA eligibility by not accepting compensation in professional events.

Vick scrambled from sideline to sideline, returning Rola’s well-placed shots until Rola made unforced errors that would help Vick win the first set 6-4.

In the second set, Rola took advantage of Vick’s movement, and placed the second-set winner perfectly to win 6-4 and send the match to a third set.

But after three UNC singles players fell to the Buckeyes, the match ended, and Vick was left with an incomplete match that ended 6-4, 4-6, 1-2.

“I was really bummed,” Vick said. “I don’t know why we decided to stop at four (singles matches). I was going to leave my heart out on the court or die trying.”

With the match” decided 4-1 in Ohio State’s favor,”:http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/02/512ec0d172744 and only two singles courts left unfinished, the teams opted to end early so the Buckeyes could make their flight, which coach Sam Paul said is a necessary measure during midweek matches.

Senior captain William Parker, who dropped his match 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 on court three, said Vick’s anticipation of the match translated to the team.

“We all got pumped up for this match, but obviously it had a little more meaning for him, so it was good to see him play well,” Parker said. “I just wish the team could have played a little better.”

Still, Vick felt his performance Tuesday validated his decision to transfer to Chapel Hill

“It’s exactly what I wanted from my college experience,” Vick said. “I didn’t want to spend my college experience sitting on the bench, just cheering on teammates.

“I wanted to be in the action and show the world what I can do.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.