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The Daily Tar Heel

M. Tennis: Heels fall to No. 1 UVa. in ACCs

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After two strong matches against Clemson" senior Taylor Fogleman dropped the doubles match Friday and was trailing in singles.

CARY — On paper" the North Carolina men's tennis team's 4-0 loss to No. 1 Virgina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday appears no different from its 7-0 loss to the Cavaliers just 12 days earlier.

But UNC isn't exactly down after losing to an undefeated team in a match that might have been closer than the score indicates.

""You've got to give Virginia credit"" coach Sam Paul said. But we have a lot of confidence in our team.""

That is because after the Tar Heels lost the doubles point" No. 1 Taylor Fogleman and No. 2 Clay Donato were able to jump out to win their first sets.

Though neither finished his match as the Cavaliers were able to dispose of UNC quickly it did give the Tar Heels some hope in an attempt to rally and gain further momentum.

They hope to carry that feeling through the rest of the postseason" if they earn their 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.

And the team remains confident in its abilities despite its early exit from the ACC Tournament.

""It's not like we were really far away"" Paul said. We've just got to keep working.""

Doubles play will certainly continue to be a point of emphasis" as it hurt the team again against Virginia. The Tar Heels have lost the doubles point in nine of their 10 losses this season.

Yet Paul said the team will simply continue to do the drills it has been doing in hopes of continuing the steady improvement it has experienced this season.

Paul said the young team has come a long way since its first loss to VCU and Andrew Crone said the fight it put up against Virginia is a testament to its growth.

Crone — who lost in straight sets in the teams' regular season matchup — and Brennan Boyajian both lost close first sets by scores of 6-7 (6-8) and 4-6 respectively.

Boyajian has improved his play in doubles as well as in singles" where he has ascended from the four seed to the three seed.

""We're glad to have him with us instead of against us"" Fogleman said. He's a tough little dude to play.""

But Fogleman did not limit his praise to Boyajian.

""Every one of them has progressed as the year's gone on"" he said of the freshmen.

Fogleman said the team believes it has a good chance to continue its progression leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

And, if nothing else, the team is using its play against Virginia, even in defeat, as motivation.

We've just got to look at the ACC Tournament and look at how we've grown as a team and use that as confidence to practice as hard as we can"" Crone said.

We've played close with the No. 1 team in the nation. That gives you some confidence.""



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.


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