East Carolina University
North Carolina
Pirates Blanked In Season Opener By UNC
January 16, 2015 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - East Carolina opened its 2015 spring season Friday against No. 6 North Carolina and suffered a 7-0 defeat at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on the UNC campus.
The Tar Heels won two of the three doubles matches to take the doubles point. UNC's duo Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray defeated ECU's tandem of Fredric Lehfeldt and Ross Nigro at the No. 2 position, 6-2, to claim the first victory. Oystein Steiro and Robert Kelly then knocked off the Pirates' Nicolas Soriano and Kasey Countee at the No. 3 position, 6-3, to claim the point.
The Pirates' No. 1 double team of Tendai Tapfuma and Colin Roller posted ECU's lone victory of the match by defeating Brett Clark and Brayden Schnur, 6-4.
ECU senior Damien Brenard fell in straight sets to second-ranked Schnuer, 6-0, 6-2, at the No. 1 flight. Countee then dropped consecutive sets to Steiro at No. 5 before Nigro lost to Kelly 6-4, 6-1 at No. 6 to give UNC the match.
Lehfeldt battled from a set down to force a deciding third set, but feel in the tie breaker 10-4 to Esben Hess-Olesen at the No. 4 flight. Soriano and Countee were each swept at positions two and three.
The Pirates return to the courts Monday, Jan. 19, against Coastal Carolina. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at the ECU Indoor Tennis Center.
#6 North Carolina (1-0) 7, #73 East Carolina (0-1) 0
Doubles
Order of match finish: (2, 3, 1)
1. Tendai Tapfuma and Colin Roller (ECU) d. Brett Clark and Brayden Schnur (UNC), 6-4
2. Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray (UNC) d. Fredric Lehfeldt and Ross Nigro (ECU), 6-2
3. Øystein Steiro and Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Nicolas Soriano and Kasey Countee (ECU), 6-3
Singles
Order of match finish: (1, 5, 6, 3, 2, 4)
1. #2 Brayden Schnur (UNC) d. Damien Bernard (ECU), 6-0, 6-2
2. #27 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) d. Nicolas Soriano (ECU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Brett Clark (UNC) d. Tendai Tapfuma (ECU), 6-3, 6-0
4. Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) d. Fredric Lehfeldt (ECU), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4)
5. Øystein Steiro (UNC) d. Kasey Countee (ECU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Ross Nigro (ECU), 6-4, 6-1
Players Mentioned
