No. 61 Miami Falls to No. 21 North Carolina
April 6, 2012
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CORAL GABLES, Fla.—The No. 61 Miami Hurricanes men’s tennis team fell to the No. 21 University of North Carolina Tar Heels, 5-2, on Fri., April 6 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
After losing the doubles point, the Canes came back with energy in singles, taking four-of-six matches to the third set for the first time since UM played Alabama on March 17. The Canes stole the win in two of these singles matches, but it wasn’t enough to clinch the victory against the Tar Heels.
“Our confidence in doubles is really getting to us, but we came back and gave them a good fight,” said Head Coach Mario Rincon. “For the most part, we had some chances but they were a bit stronger in the singles. All we have left is to fight, compete and move forward. “
Marco Stancati played singles in his first match since Georgia Tech on March 13. He took down his opponent Oystein Steiro in the No. 6 position 6-4, 7-5, and won the first point for the Hurricanes.
“Marco is improving every day. I think he is playing great tennis, and he’s winning most of his sets in practice. He’s showing a lot of spark, and we are really pleased with what he’s been doing so far,” said Rincon.
Wilfredo Gonzalez scored the second and final point of the day for Miami in the No. 3 singles position. After playing into the third set, he took down Esben Hess-Olesen 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Gabriel Flores fought hard against Jose Hernandez in the No. 1 position, bringing his match to a tiebreaker set. Hernandez ended up taking the win with a final score of 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
Sophomore Omar Aly struggled against Senior Brennan Boyajian of North Carolina in the No. 2 spot. He lost to his opponent 6-1, 6-4.
Diego Soto in the No. 4 position brought his match into the third set after coming back strong from a loss in the first set, but he came up short against his opponent Joey Burkhardt 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 in the end.
Victor Mauz fought against his opponent William Parker in the No. 5 position, bringing his first set into a tiebreaker, but fell Parker 7-6 (5), 6-3.
In doubles play, Omar Aly and Gabriel Flores fell to Jose Hernandez and Joey Burkhardt in the No. 1 position, 8-3. Wilfredo Gonzalez and Diego Soto lost to Brennan Boyajian and Cameron Ahari 8-4 in the No. 2 position, and the duo of Oystein Steiro and Esben took down Mark Schanerman and Henrique Tsukamoto 8-5 in the No. 3 spot.
“We are playing against some great teams, and I think we are improving. Our guys understand that we are down to a few more chances, and we have got to make it happen. They’re really motivated for the match on Sunday,” commented Rincon.
The team hosts No. 7 Duke on Sunday, April 8 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Come and support your Canes, and the first 50 attendees receive a free pair of sunglasses.
Complete Results
Singles
1. Jose Hernandez (UNC) def. Gabriel Flores (UM) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5)
2. Brennan Boyajian (UNC) def. Omar Aly (UM) 6-1, 6-4
3. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) def. Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Joey Burkhardt (UNC) def. Diego Soto (UM) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
5. William Parker (UNC) def. Victor Mauz (UM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
6. Marco Stancati (UM) def. Oystein Steiro (UNC) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
1. Jose Hernandez/Joey Burkhardt (UNC) def. Omar Aly/Gabriel Flores (UM) 8-3
2. Brennan Boyajian/Cameron Ahari (UNC) def. Wilfredo Gonzalez/Diego Soto (UM) 8-4
3. Oystein Steiro/Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) def. Mark Schanerman/Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) 8-5
