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The Daily Tar Heel

Men's Tennis sweeps doubleheader to improve to 9-0

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The North Carolina men's tennis team is off to its best start since 1973, but don't expect head coach Sam Paul to start celebrating anytime soon. "That, and $1.50 gets you a cup of coffee," Paul quipped when informed of the milestone. The No. 27 Tar Heels used double-header shutout victories against Georgetown (0-7) and UNC-Wilmington (1-2) to improve their record to 9-0 Saturday at the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Tennis Center. This weekend's victories coupled with wins against No. 28 Notre Dame and No. 55 Northwestern on Feb. 4 and Jan. 27, respectively, highlight an impressive run for a team with a great deal of experience and tremendous potential. "It's good to get off to this start," Paul said. "We've been working hard, but we've got a long ways to go. We'll define ourselves in the ACC and how we do against the really good teams in the nation." Georgetown and UNC-W don't quite fall into that category. Even after the Tar Heels shuffled their lineup to get the reserves some valuable match experience, they still dominated both opponents. Seniors Brad Pomeroy and Raian Luchici - partners on the No. 1 doubles team in the nation - both sat out matches Saturday, but their absence failed to hinder the Tar Heels. UNC cruised to 7-0 wins against both schools and never lost a set along the way. The doubles team of redshirt sophomore Lenny Gullan and sophomore David Stone stepped up from its normal No. 2 spot to win both its matches at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 doubles, senior Derek Porter and sophomore Sebastian Guejman, who are undefeated in seven matches this season, also won both their matches - conceding just one game all day. "I'm pleased by how all the doubles teams are working out right now," Porter said. "I'm feeling extremely confident every time I walk out there on the court." In singles Porter won both his matches, playing at No. 1 against the Hoyas and at No. 2 against the Seahawks. Sophomore Benjamin Carlotti, ranked No. 93 in the nation, compiled two straight set victories. The Paris native has not lost a set this season. Despite the shutout victories, Paul still wants his team to focus on improving. "We can play better," he said. "We're not clicking on all cylinders yet. We have yet to play our best match so we've gotta keep working and keep the guys motivated. But I've been really pleased with the effort." Monday, the Tar Heels travel to No. 12 South Carolina for what should be their most challenging match of the young season. "I'm very confident in our team," Porter said. "South Carolina is a good school, and they're going to fight. But we've put all the work in needed to beat most teams that we play, and I feel like we'll definitely do that." Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.

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