Plyler's Three-Set Battle Subdues Pack, 4-3
April 4, 2007
Photo Gallery-#5 UNC 4, #20 NCSU 3
RALEIGH, N.C. - Playing in front of his hometown crowd, junior Will Plyler's three-set victory in the deciding #6 singles match, clinched the Tar Heels' 4-3 victory over N.C. State Wednesday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. With the win, the No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels, the highest ranked team in school history, remained undefeated at 18-0 overall and 6-0 in the ACC. Meanwhile, No. 20 NC State dropped to 18-6 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. The Tar Heels jumped off to a 1-0 start this afternoon after securing the doubles point for the 18th time this season. Victories from the two and three positions gave North Carolina a 1-0 lead heading into singles. Taylor Fogleman and Chris Kearney defeated Andre Iriarte and Christian Welte, 8-4. After Lenny Gullan and David Stone fell, 8-4, to the 21st-ranked duo of Nick Cavaday and William Noblitt, the point came down to the number two position. Stefan Hardy and Sebastian Guejman teamed up to clinch the doubles point for the Tar Heels. Hardy scorched a backhand return down the line to set up match point for the Tar Heels, who broke NCSU's James McGee's serve at 8-7 to clinch the doubles point. In singles action, freshman Kearney, ranked No. 121 in the polls, pushed the North Carolina lead to 2-0 over NC State with a 6-3, 6-4 mark over William Noblitt. After Taylor Fogleman fell in straight sets to Christian Welte, Stefan Hardy put the Tar Heels up 3-1 with a 7-5, 7-5 win over James McGee. Hardy upped his record to 16-4 overall this season. The Wolfpack tied the match, 3-3, winning almost simultaneously at number one and four singles. The last hour of the match rested on the shoulders of Will Plyler, a graduate of Broughton High School in Raleigh. Serving at 4-5 in the second set, Plyler fought off a set point to draw even at 5-5. Iriarte and Plyler then both held serve to force a tiebreak. After falling behind 5-1, Plyler rallied to knot the score 6-6. Down 8-9 in the breaker, Plyler's "out" call was overruled by the chair umpire, giving Iriarte the second set. In a dramatic third set, which saw both players collapse on the ground fighting cramps, Iriarte broke Plyler's serve in the first game. After winning the next three games, Plyler led 3-1, 30-40 when the State senior suddenly crumbled to the court with leg cramps. After a five minute injury timeout, Iriarte returned to the court but lost three straight points to go down 4-1. With Iriarte struggling to serve, Plyler succumbed to leg cramps at 15-15 in the seventh game. However, after his injury treatment period, Plyler dug a little deeper and managed to break Iriarte's serve a final time and serve out the clinching 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1 victory. Plyler improved his overall record to 13-4 with the win. Head Coach Sam Paul was incredibly pleased with both teams' efforts on the courts today. "You have to give NC State credit," said Paul. "They played really hard and competed really hard. We are incredibly proud of Will [Plyler] and the guts he had on the court today. Both guys showed tremendous strength today. You have to give NC State great credit." This victory marked the 19th consecutive regular season win over the Wolfpack for the Tar Heels. The last regular season loss to NC State for North Carolina occurred on March, 16, 1988 in a 6-3 decision. The Tar Heels return home this upcoming weekend, playing host to ACC competitors Boston College and Maryland. The Boston College match on Saturday, April 7, is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start and Maryland on Sunday at 1 p.m.
No. 5 UNC 4, No. 20 NC State 3
Doubles:
Singles:
|
