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(04/12/10 3:12am)
In its last home match of the season Sunday, the No. 19 North Carolina men’s tennis team celebrated Senior Day with a 5-2 win over No. 24 Georgia Tech.After winning the doubles point, UNC took an early 3-0 lead when Stefan Hardy defeated Eliot Potvin 6-1, 6-4 and Brennan Boyajian handled Miguel Muguruza 6-4, 6-1.Freshman Jose Hernandez clinched the match for UNC (16-4, 6-2 ACC) by defeating Kevin King in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.“On the scouting report they told me he liked to attack with his backhand,” Hernandez said. “My forehand down the line worked well today. It’s always my best shot.”Senior Clay Donato lost a heartbreaker to No. 4 Guillermo Gomez in three sets. Gomez looked deserving of his ranking early, losing only a single game in the first set. But Donato responded to break Gomez to win the second set 6-4.“I thought he played some of his best tennis of the year today,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “He got a tough assignment today and just came up a bit short.”Gomez showed his frustration early in the decisive third set. After hitting a forehand down the line, Gomez yelled in response to the potential winner. Unfortunately for him, Donato hustled to reach the shot. The chair judge gave the point to Donato, ruling that players are not allowed to make any noise during a rally.Gomez and Georgia Tech assistant coaches berated the chair judge in protest, but Donato took advantage by building a 5-3 lead.Serving to win the match, Donato needed just two points to upset Gomez. But after double faulting, Donato missed a volley to put the set back on serve.Gomez took advantage by forcing a tiebreaker, which the Spaniard eventually won 8-6 to take the third set 7-6.Earlier, in his doubles match, No. 17 Donato and Hardy defeated Georgia Tech’s duo of King and Juan Spir, 8-3.Later, on another court, Hernandez and senior Andrew Crone led 7-4 in their doubles match.On match point, Crone double faulted. And on deuce, Crone double faulted again to give Ga. Tech the advantage.But the senior showed poise by winning his next two service points, setting up UNC’s fifth match point. The doubles win was finally clinched on the following point by Hernandez’s overhead slam.“I wanted to play my best in the doubles match since I was paired with a senior,” Hernandez said. “I always like playing with Andrew. I’ll miss him.”Combined with the 5-2 victory over Clemson on Friday, UNC moved into sole possession of third place in the ACC.Donato and Crone, recognized before the singles matches, helped UNC to a 10-2 record at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center this season.“Being on a team with Clay and Crone is such an honor,” Hernandez said of the two seniors. “As a team we won, and they helped get the doubles point. They should be proud of themselves.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/31/10 4:42am)
The No. 20 North Carolina men’s tennis team’s hopes of an undefeated ACC season faded with a 5-2 loss to No. 24 Wake Forest.The afternoon started well for UNC (12-3, 3-1) when the No. 17 doubles pair of Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy rolled past Demon Deacon counterparts Steven Forman and Zach Leslie, 8-4. UNC’s Jose Hernandez and Andrew Crone edged past Iain Atkinson and Danny Kreyman, 8-5, to clinch the doubles point for the Tar Heels.But Wake Forest (9-5, 3-1) rebounded strongly in individual play.“We played well in doubles,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “Then we went down big early in all of our singles matches.”The loss comes in UNC’s first match in a five-game homestand against ACC opponents.Donato, ranked No. 51 in the country, and Hernandez, tabbed No. 78, won only one game combined in their first singles set.After losing the first set to Forman 6-1, Donato audibly regained his confidence in the second. Usually composed, Donato frequently yelled following crucial points, winning four straight games en route to a 6-2 second set win.Forman vented his frustration by criticizing the chair judge with vulgarities. He soon recovered to break Donato’s serve in the third set, leading to the Wake Forest senior’s 6-3 third set win.“We made a rally, had our chances, but couldn’t close the doors,” Paul said.Hernandez was unable to win a game against No. 42 Tripper Carleton in the first set.Leading 6-5 in the second set with Carleton serving, Hernandez skid twice across the court to return shots before finally ripping a crosscourt forehand winner. But with Hernandez needing only two more points for the set, Carleton validated his ranking by forcing a tiebreaker.Hernandez took a 2-0 lead in the tiebreaker against the fellow freshman. Starting the next point, Hernandez encountered a run of bad luck. Carleton hit a backhand into the top of the net, only for the ball to slowly roll over. Two points later, Carleton’s serve performed a similar maneuver to drop on Hernandez’s side of the net.“They outplayed us on the big points,” Paul said. UNC’s only singles win came when Brennan Boyajian defeated Jonathan Wolff in straight sets. 6-2, 6-3.Leading 3-1 in the opening set, Boyajian called Wolff’s serve out only to be overruled by the chair judge. Boyajian paced back and forth between the baseline and service line, frustrated with the call. Wolff took advantage of the distraction by cutting the lead to 3-2.Boyajian regained his composure to win three straight games, taking the first set 6-2.The chair judge again played a role in the second set. With a 5-3 advantage, Boyajian hit a forehand winner which Wolff called out. After appealing, Boyajian was awarded the point. He won the following two points to win the second set 6-3.“We were both overruled twice,” Boyajian said. “For some reason the ref wanted to play a part in the match.” Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/22/10 2:15am)
With his team trailing 3-2 against Auburn, freshman Jose Hernandez showed maturity far superior to the level his nickname Bebo, Spanish for “baby boy,” indicates.Hernandez cruised to win the first set 6-2 against singles opponent Tim Hewitt and built a 5-3 lead in the match’s second set.“He served really well, but I was able to break him easily early on,” Hernandez said. “I felt in control of the match from the beginning.”Hewitt responded by winning four consecutive games to steal the second set, holding serve twice while breaking Hernandez in consecutive service games.“I got into a rhythm, but then I popped my racket’s strings,” Hernandez said. “I lost my concentration and he was able to break me.”UNC players whose matches had already finished gathered to cheer on Hernandez in the match’s final set. But Hewitt dominated his first two service games while again breaking Hernandez to take a 3-0 lead.“At that moment, I felt some pressure,” Hernandez said. “I saw the scoreboard and knew my team needed me, but I handled it pretty well.”During the break between games, Hernandez glanced through a notebook containing positive quotes to regain his confidence and focus. He returned to the match a changed player.Hernandez fought through a difficult game to hold serve and cut Hewitt’s lead to 3-1. The freshman then broke Hewitt, an accomplished server, with consecutive cross-court forehand winners.“You have to come through in big situations,” Hernandez said. “During the break, when I was down 3-0, I kept thinking I only needed one break to get back in the match.”Even though he still held a slight advantage, Hewitt’s confidence visibly waned.After most Hernandez winners, Hewitt nervously paced the baseline before the following point.Hernandez’s third set comeback continued when he held serve to tie the score 3-3. But Hewitt’s overpowering serve allowed him to salvage a close game to regain the lead 4-3.With the majority of fans at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center watching, Hernandez’s clinical forehand winners helped him win three consecutive games to finish the match.“They gave us everything we could handle,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “We can’t control how the opponent plays, but we can control our effort.”Hernandez’s rally tied the overall team score 3-3, allowing UNC senior Andrew Crone to clinch the 4-3 victory by defeating Michael Wardell.“I just told myself to hit one more ball than him, and I started winning points again,” Hernandez said. “Without my teammates’ support I probably would have gotten the (loss) today.”
(02/26/10 4:00am)
Even without its celebrated captain Clay Donato, the UNC men’s tennis team cruised en route to a comfortable 6-1 victory over Navy.The No. 22 Tar Heels (7-2) dominated all three doubles matches, losing only seven combined games. Ryan Noble fit in seamlessly with Donato’s usual partner Stefan Hardy to defeat Navy’s Owen Bullard and Eddie Konrad 8-5. UNC clinched the doubles point with commanding 8-1 successes in the other two matches.“We made some positive steps today in doubles,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “The win on the road against Michigan gave us some confidence.”The Tar Heels’ confidence could have only increased when all three top singles players won their matches in straight sets. Jose Hernandez, Hardy and Noble dropped only six games total.“I just tried to stay on top of my guy, not let him breathe too much,” said Noble, who defeated Anderson Walls without losing a game. “I really like playing at home with the crowd because it gives you a little motivation.”The freshman’s performance did not go unnoticed.“Ryan’s coming off an injury in December but he’s starting to play better,” Paul said. “He’s looking much sharper on the court.”Quick wins by the top three mathematically clinched the overall victory for UNC, but the remaining singles players fought to win two of the three remaining matches.In his first match this year, Kyle Baker recovered from losing the second set tiebreaker to defeat Nicholas Gutsche in a shortened third set. Luke Mojica, after losing his first set against Zach Nicholson, responded by winning the following two.“Once we got the doubles point we felt pretty comfortable and wanted to get some other guys some time,” Paul said. “It’s good for us to see where their games are in live competition.”Hernandez defeated Navy’s No.1 singles player Bullard 6-3 in the first set before finishing the match with an unblemished 6-0 second set. Hardy similarly lost only three games on his way to overcome Marcus Rebersak 6-1,6-2 in straight sets.The modified lineup’s success against Navy showed UNC’s depth while allowing Donato and regular starter Brennan Boyajian some needed rest.“They’re not injured, we just wanted to play some other guys,” Paul said. “We have a strong team and don’t get caught up in the numbers.”UNC will travel to Richmond, Va., to face VCU this Sunday. The Tar Heels’ next home match will be against conference rival North Carolina State on March 15.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(10/20/09 3:23am)
What you flush down the toilet every day is winning UNC awards.The WateReuse Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes local water use, named UNC the “Institution of the Year” for its efficient water-use systems.In April, the University began using treated wastewater to complete tasks such as irrigating sports fields and flushing toilets, tasks that had previously been accomplished with potable water. Potable water is safe for drinking, while the treated water UNC uses is not.“We will be able to defer payment to meet future water demand,” said Sally Hoyt, stormwater engineer for University Energy Services. “OWASA and UNC customers will not have to develop another water source or upgrade water treatment plants.”The University completed the shift with the help of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, prompted by droughts that made potable water scarce. Cindy Shea, director of UNC’s Sustainability Office, estimates the system will reduce UNC’s potable water use by about 200 million gallons a year.“It is a more efficient and quieter system,” Shea said. “The severe drought in 2002 caused us to attempt to reduce our potable water usage.”Hoyt estimated that by the end of this fiscal year, UNC will have converted 30 percent of its water use to reused water.Shea said UNC has been testing the feasibility of the program for several years. But the system was not implemented until April because the University needed to construct the new distribution system and make upgrades to the water treatment plants.The WateReuse Association also recognized UNC for its Bell Tower Project, a system that uses rainwater to help meet water demand. UNC spent $10 million on the project after economic analysis showed that the money saved would pay for construction costs, Hoyt said.UNC is looking to expand the program to all campus cooling towers, Shea said. She added that its recognition might have benefits other than saving money.“We are opening up a whole new sector for using reclaimed water,” Shea said. “We anticipate there will be tourist demand due to our sustainability practices.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.