Healthy Tar Heels breeze past William & Mary in NCAA Regionals

A healthy lineup hasn't always been a given for the No. 13 North Carolina men's tennis team this year. 

On Feb. 28, Brayden Schnur, the Tar Heels' No. 1 player and the No. 11 singles player in the country, withdrew from the team's match against Minnesota with a knee injury. 

He would be sidelined for a little over a month, a period in which UNC went 4-3.  

As the season wore on, several other Tar Heels felt the injury bug, but as the team opened NCAA Tournament play against William & Mary Friday, it seemed like the team was back to full strength. 

North Carolina would cruise to a 4-0 victory against the Tribe, a feat that Schnur attributed to the team's overall health. 

"Although we've had some rough patches, we've never really played with a full lineup," he said. "Now everyone's pretty healthy, and we're looking forward to (having a clean slate)."

The Tar Heels would have to wait for the previous match between Mississippi State and Denver to finish before they could begin play, but when they did, they wasted no time in securing the doubles point. 

North Carolina would take matches at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to clinch the point before many fans had settled into their seats. Jack Murray, who was unable to finish his match with partner Ronnie Schneider at No. 3 doubles, said capturing the point so quickly was key for the team's success after the long delay. 

"William & Mary is a very good doubles team, and we came out expecting a dog fight," Murray said. "It was really good of us to get in and get up early and to win the doubles point pretty fast."

Singles play brought more of the same from the Tar Heels, who, with a healthy lineup, seemed to be in a different gear than they had been in all season. 

This time Murray was able to finish his match, cruising to a straight-sets victory against the Tribe's Damon Niquet and handing the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead. 

And within ten minutes of Murray's win, North Carolina was looking at match point on Court One. 

Brett Clark had just closed out a 6-3, 6-1 win against Addison Appleby, setting up an opportunity for Schnur to clinch the match for UNC. 

And with injury concerns behind him, Schnur did just that, staving off a second set rally from Christian Cargill en route to a 6-1, 7-5 victory.  

"We're obviously a different team with (Schnur) playing," said Coach Sam Paul after the match. "With him back we've had some really good wins, and it's just great to have him back playing."  

The Tar Heels will face No. 20 Mississippi State Saturday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals in Waco, Texas. And now, with a healthy lineup, Schnur and the Tar Heels fully expect to make the trip. 

"We used the past 10 days to get really really fit and to get strong, and we're definitely ready for the heat that is going to come tomorrow and hopefully whatever we get in the rest of the tournament," Schnur said. "I think this is our year."