Northwestern
North Carolina
'Cats Stomp No. 18 Tar Heels, 5-2
1/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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Jan. 30, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - After barely getting nudged out of an NCAA tournament bid in 2004, Northwestern Head Coach Paul Torricelli scheduled tougher competition coming into this year to ensure his team greater consideration for the tournament.
Torricelli's team was put to the test Sunday afternoon, as 18-ranked North Carolina came to town. The Wildcats passed with flying colors, dominating the Tar Heels for a 5-2 win.
"When you bring good teams to your place, you have to grab the opportunity," Torricelli said. "We put together a total team effort today. Everyone contributed in some way."
The win moves the `Cats to an even 2-2 all-time against North Carolina, while improving to 4-1 on the season.
Northwestern claimed two of three doubles matches before winning four of six in the singles competition.
Sophomore Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium Lohbrugge) and senior Chuck Perrin (Atlanta, Ga./The Walker School) earned their first victory of the season together by upsetting the nation's ninth-ranked doubles team of Boyd and Pomeroy 8-5.
"Christian has just risen to the challenge with his doubles game since we paired him with Chuck," Torricelli said.
The duo played nearly flawless against the top-10 squad. Perrin peppered the Tar Heels with blistering serves, while Tempke kept their opponents off balance with a series of precision drop shots.
Junior Adam Schaechterle (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine) and senior Tommy Hanus clinched the doubles point for the `Cats with a grueling 9-8 win over Stone and Guejman at the No. 2 position. The two have been the most consistent doubles players for the `Cats this year, improving to 4-1.
As the team moved into singles competition, they needed only three wins for the overall upset. They took four.
After dropping his match against Ball State two days ago, Hanus got back on track at the No. 1 slot in a big way. The Palatine, Ill. Native upset the 66th-ranked Raian Luchici 6-3, 6-3. Hanus is ranked 114th in the nation and improves to 4-1 on the year.
"When your No. 1 player gets a win like Tommy did today, it energizes the entire team," Torricelli said. "The guys fed off that win and brought it to their own games."
Schaechterle was next in line to earn the `Cats a win, running away in straight sets at the No. 5 position 7-5, 6-1.
Sophomore Willy Lock (Lima, Peru/Markham College) provided the clinching victory against Carlotti at No. 4. The victory continued Lock's run of perfection, moving him to 5-0 on the season, having not dropped a single set along the way.
"Adam and Willy have just been rocks for us," Torricelli said. "They've both been extremely reliable and consistent."
With the win in hand, sophomore Matt Christian (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice) continued to pour it on the Tar Heels. He recorded his second-consecutive victory with a 7-5, 6-3 tally at No. 6.
After opening the season with five-straight home matches, Northwestern leaves the friendly confines of Combe Tennis Center next week to go to 24th-ranked Harvard Sunday, February 6th.
Northwestern 5, North Carolina 2
Singles
No. 1 - Tommy Hanus (NU) def. Raian Luchici (UNC), 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 - Brad Pomeroy (UNC) def. Chuck Perrin (NU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 3 - Geoff Boyd (UNC) def. Christian Tempke (NU), 3-6, 6-3, 3-2 (injury)
No. 4 - Willy Lock (NU) def. Benjamin Carlottie (UNC), 6-0, 6-3 (clincher)
No. 5 - Adam Schaechterle (NU) def. Derek Porter (UNC), 7-5, 6-1
No. 6 - Matt Christian (NU) def. Sebastian Guejman (UNC), 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 - Perrin/Tempke (NU) def. Boyd/Pomeroy (UNC), 8-5
No. 2 - Schaechterle/Hanus (NU) def. Stone/Guejman (UNC), 8-4
No. 3 - Luchici/Janda (UNC) def. Christian/Hoeveler (NU), 8-5
Players Mentioned
