After battling wind, rain and even a leak or two, the No. 16 North Carolina men’s tennis team had its impressive ACC tournament run cut short by No. 5 Virginia — but the Tar Heels impressed nonetheless.
Despite windy conditions Friday, UNC (21-10) blew past Boston College (8-18) with a commanding 4-0 victory. While the Tar Heels were heavily favored to win the match, they knew the challenges that the tournament was going to offer.
“We just wanted to be as efficient as possible,” junior Brett Clark said. “We needed to save some energy, because the rest of the tournament was going to be tough.”
UNC wouldn’t have to wait long for things to heat up, as they found themselves in a duel to remember against No. 9 Duke just a day later.
The Tar Heels pulled out a 5-2 victory against the Blue Devils (22-6) on April 9, but they knew the ACC tournament match-up would prove much more difficult.
“It’s really tough to beat a team like Duke twice in one season,” Coach Sam Paul said.
The Tar Heels didn’t do themselves any favors. After dropping the doubles point, UNC needed to win four of its six singles matches to move on.
Despite their slow start, the Tar Heels battled back winning four of the first six sets in singles play. What looked to be too daunting a challenge turned into an epic four-hour battle between the two teams.
As the game neared the end, all eyes turned to Court Four, where sophomore Jack Murray and Duke’s Chris Mengel were going shot for shot with the game on the line. In a final surge, Murray clinched the final set 7-5, giving UNC the 4-3 victory.