Friday sports roundup: Men's tennis, softball, women's tennis all pick up wins

With several of North Carolina's fall sports teams adding spring seasons to their 2020-2021 schedules, The Daily Tar Heel will be recapping some of the action from this spring's busy weekends in roundups every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Men's tennis: UNC 4, Clemson 0

After earning the 2021 Indoor National Championship title this year in Champaign, Illinois, the No. 1 North Carolina men’s tennis team (7-0, 1-0 ACC) faced Clemson (5-5, 1-2 ACC) away for its first official ACC dual match of the season on Friday. 

The Tar Heels defeated the Tigers 4-0, with the No. 6 doubles team of senior William Blumberg and junior Brian Cernoch clinching the first win of the match. With a score of 6-4, their doubles victory resulted in Blumberg claiming his 80th career doubles win. 

The doubles team of senior Mac Kiger and first-year Adam Neff defeated its opponent, 7-5, to earn UNC the doubles point.

In singles play, Cernoch won the first match for the Tar Heels 6-3, 6-3, followed by No. 41 senior Benjamin Sigouin who won 6-2, 6-2. It was No. 55 sophomore Rinky Hijikata who secured the win for UNC by coming back in his intense match. Despite losing his first set, 1-6, he fought back in his second and third sets to claim a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. 

By coming out on top against the Tigers in the first official match of its ACC season, the Tar Heels are off to a solid start in the conference schedule. Next up, UNC will take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sunday at noon.

Caroline Prendiville, staff writer

Softball doubleheader: Troy 2, UNC 0; UNC 8, Troy 2

In the first day of the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the UNC softball team (5-2, 4-1 ACC) split its doubleheader against Troy (11-2), losing 2-0 in the first game before winning 8-2 in the second game.

The Tar Heels went down 2-0 early in the first game and couldn’t get anything going against Troy pitcher Leanna Johnson, who only allowed two hits. UNC's fifth-year pitcher Brittany Pickett dominated after coming in during the third inning, allowing only one more hit for the rest of the game, but the Tar Heels just couldn’t score. 

Pickett continued her dominance in the second game, allowing only two runs to the Trojans. Pickett also led the Tar Heels at the plate, slugging a pair of two-run home runs on the way to an 8-2 victory. This continues a strong start for the pitcher, who was named ACC Pitcher of the Week after going 3-0 last weekend. 

The Tar Heels will play another doubleheader on Friday, this time against No. 4 Alabama at noon and 2:30 p.m.

Michael Meares, staff writer

Women's tennis: UNC 7, Louisville 0

In a blowout win against the University of Louisville (5-3, 2-1 ACC), the No.1 North Carolina women’s tennis team (11-0, 2-0 ACC) dominated with a score of 7-0. 

The Cardinals weren’t able to score more than three points in any of the singles matches or in two out of three of the doubles matches. Although all of the Tar Heels did exceptionally well, the doubles team of first-year Reilly Tran and senior Alle Sanford didn’t let a point slip past, annihilating its opponent, 6-0. 

That victory was followed first by the team of senior Sara Daavettila and junior Cameron Morra with a score of 6-2, and then by graduate Makenna Jones and sophomore Elizabeth Scotty, who suffered a 2-6 loss. 

In singles play, No. 4 Daavettila also won her match by a score of 6-1, 6-1, but she finished last. In first, No. 49 Jones defeated Louisville's Chelsea Sawyer, 6-0, 6-1. No. 120 first-year Fiona Crawley then won her match, 6-1, 6-0, bringing the score to 3-0. No. 79 Scotty clinched the match for UNC, winning her match, 6-4, 6-2. 

The Tar Heels are going strong and look to continue their undefeated win season against Miami on Saturday, March 6, at noon in Chapel Hill.

Grace Guin, staff writer

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