Terps Power Past #18 Tar Heels, 5-2
April 15, 2012
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 70 Maryland men's tennis team closed the regular season in impressive fashion Sunday with a 5-2 victory over No. 18 North Carolina at the Cole Field House Tennis Courts. It is Maryland's first win over the Tar Heels since 1990 and its third victory over a ranked opponent in the squad's last four tries.
"The belief in this team has never wavered," said head coach Kyle Spencer. "They never second guess each other. Every day they come out and give everything because of the bonds they have with each other. They are a tight knit group that has bought into the message that we can be a good team, we can be a good program, we can compete nationally and that's what you saw today."
The Terps (7-14, 4-7 ACC) dominant performance keeps them in contention for a NCAA tournament berth. Maryland cruised through doubles to take an early one point lead, and won 4 of 6 singles matches.
Junior Tommy Laine and freshman Vlad Stefan won their 13th match of the season with an 8-4 triumph over Brennan Boyajian and Cameron Ahari at No. 2 to begin the afternoon. Juniors Andy Magee and Jesse Kiuru knocked off Esben Hess-Olesen and Oystein Steiro at No. 3 to clinch the doubles point for the Terps.
On the No. 1 court, 33rd-ranked John Collins and Maros Horny rallied from a 5-2 deficit to defeat 30th-ranked Jose Hernandez and Joey Burkhardt, 8-5. The tandem earned its seventh win over a ranked opponent this year and improved to 14-7 in dual action.
Needing only to win three singles matches to earn the victory, Collins picked up the first one with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of William Parker at the No. 5 position. After North Carolina won at No. 4, Laine and junior Sergio Wyss each won within minutes of each other. Laine rebounded from a 6-1 second-set loss and dispatched Steiro in the third set, 6-3. Wyss earned a hard-fought victory in the first set and closed out Hess-Olesen in the second, which sent off a wild Terrapin celebration on the No. 3 court. "Sergio hasn't played his best tennis this year," said Spencer. "But I kept telling him all year that he was going to win a big match for us, and he did." The Terps' last win of the match came at the No. 2 position. Stefan defeated 103rd-ranked Boyajian in three sets. Maryland will be the ninth seed at the upcoming ACC Championships, which begins Thursday, April 19 in Cary, N.C.#70 Maryland 5, #18 North Carolina 2
Singles competition
1. #33 Jose Hernandez (UNC) def. Maros Horny (MD) 6-4, 5-7, 3-1, retired
2. Vlad Stefan (MD) def. #103 Brennan Boyajian (UNC) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0
3. Sergio Wyss (MD) def. Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
4. Joey Burkhardt (UNC) def. Jesse Kiuru (MD) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5. John Collins (MD) def. William Parker (UNC) 6-4, 6-2
6. Tommy Laine (MD) def. Oystein Steiro (UNC) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #33 John Collins/Maros Horny (MD) def. #30 Jose Hernandez/Joey Burkhardt (UNC) 8-5
2. Tommy Laine/Vlad Stefan (MD) def. Brennan Boyajian/Cameron Ahari (UNC) 8-4
3. Andy Magee/Jesse Kiuru (MD) def. Esben Hess-Olesen/Oystein Steiro (UNC) 8-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,4,6,3,2,1)
- Terps -
