North Carolina defeats Clemson

March 26, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 12th-ranked University of North Carolina men’s tennis team rallied after losing the doubles point to earn four singles victories and edge No. 10 Clemson 4-3 Saturday in a match held indoors at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels earned the victory in the final match of the day as senior Raian Luchici defeated Clemson’s Sander Koning in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at number one singles.

Down 3-0 in the third set, Luchici won six straight games to earn the victory for the Tar Heels. This is the second straight year that the match between the two teams has come down to Luchici’s contest at No. 1 singles. With the win the Tar Heels improve to 16-1 overall and 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson falls to 17-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

Clemson won the doubles point to start the match. Clemson’s pairing of Sander Koning defeated Lenny Gullan and David Stone, ranked 79th in the country, 8-4 at No. 2, before the Tigers’ Jarmaine Jenkins and Clement Reix teamed to defeated Carolina’s Raian Luchici and Brad Pomeroy at No. 1. Luchici and Pomeroy are ranked sixth in the country. Sebastian Guejman and Derek Porter scored the lone doubles win for the Tar Heels as they defeated Ian Keeler and Brett Twente 8-6 at No. 3.

Carolina rallied in singles play, taking the first two matches to move ahead 2-1. Senior Brad Pomeroy, an Asheville, N.C. native, was first off the court for the Tar Heels, defeating Jarmaine Jenkins 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot. Sebastian Guejman followed Pomeroy’s victory with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Clemson’s Clint Boling at No. 5.

The Tigers, however, were able to fight back and take the lead away from the Tar Heels after victories at the No. 6 and No. 3 spots. Will Plyler fell to Clemson’s Clement Reix. Reix is ranked 97th in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. North Carolina tied the match 3-3 as Benjamin Carlotti defeated Ryan Young 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4.

After Carlotti’s victory, the match hinged on the outcome of the contest between Carolina’s Raian Luchici, ranked 10th, and Clemson’s Sander Koning, ranked 89th, at No. 1 singles. Koning lead the match 6-4, 3-6, 2-0 when Luchici went down with a leg injury. After receiving treatment, Luchici lost the next game to fall behind 3-0. Facing a three-game deficit in the deciding set Luchici rallied, taking the final six games to secure the victory for the Tar Heels.

Clemson will play Duke in Durham, NC on Sunday afternoon.

No. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 4, No. 10 CLEMSON 3

Doubles (team winning the majority of doubles matches earns one point)

No. 1 Jarmaine Jenkins / Clement Reix (CU) d. #6 Raian Luchici / Brad Pomeroy (UNC) 8-6

No. 2 Sander Koning (CU) d. #79 Lenny Gullan / David Stone (UNC) 8-4

No. 3 Sebastian Guejman / Derek Porter (UNC) d. Ian Keeler / Brett Twente (CU) 8-6

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3

*Clemson wins doubles point

Singles

No. 1 #10 Raian Luchici (UNC) d. #89 Sander Koning (CU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3*

No. 2 Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Jarmaine Jenkins (CU) 6-2, 6-2

No. 3 #97 Clement Reix (CU) d. Derek Porter (UNC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3