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Page 4 • The Red and Black/Courtaide • Thursday, May 14,1992
At UNC, tennis takes on basketball
By JOHN GIBSON
Associate Court side Editor
B asketball will always be
the first love of a true
Carolina fan. What’s the
matter, you don’t think so?
Well maybe you’re right.
When the Tarheels disap
pointed their faithful followers
with a third-round exit at the
NCAA tournament via top-
seeded Ohio State, it was only
fitting that the school came up
with something to appease the
loyal legion of fans until next
winter.
And appease it has, as coach
Allen Morris’s eighth-ranked
men’s tennis team earned their
first bid to the NCAA
Championships since the cre
ation of the team format in
1977.
The Top 10 ranking is the
highest since their No. 7 rank
ing in the final poll in 1974.
The Tarheels (24-4) steam-
rolled their way to the ACC
regular season title with an
unblemished 8-0 mark in dual
matches.
Then they snatched the
tournament championship
with victories over nationally
ranked Clemson and Duke for
the second time this season.
The Tarheels also made a
name for themselves in the na
tional social circles of college
tennis.
After robbing then fifth-
ranked Florida of a 5-4 decision
in Gainesville, North Carolina
won 21 of their last 23 match
es.
“Let’s just say they came
down here and showed us
thing or two,” Florida coach
Ian Duvenhage.
"They have a team that will
teach anybody in the nation a
lesson if you take them light
ly *
But the key to the banner
year was the knowledge the
players gained from a 4-2 loss
to NCAA defending champion,
Southern California, in the sec
ond match of the year, accord
ing to Morris.
“We felt like we could play
on the same court as anybody
if we could hold Southern
California that close in the sec
ond match of the season,” he
said.
Other landmark wins that
followed the Florida match in
clude victories over No. 13
Miami, No. 17 Texas, No. 10
Notre Dame, No. 18 Harvard
and No. 5 TCU.
Not bad for a team whose
players have to battle for
recognition with the legendary
likes of Michael Jordan,
Lawrence Taylor, James
Worthy and countless others.
But the thing that pleases
Morris most about his players
is the selfless manner in which
they have responded to the
hype that usually accompanies
a great team hand-in-hand.
“There’s not any one of them
that feels any better than the
other,” Morris said.
“They have met every chal
lenge head-on and have had
fun doing so, and that’s what
makes them so special.”
North Carolina is led by
llth-ranked Roland
Thornqvist. The junior from
Farsta, Sweden, compiled a 28-
12 record this season en route
to becoming the first Tarheel
ever to crack into the Top 10
individual rankings with his
former No. 7 ranking in April.
He qualified for the NCAA
Singles Tournament in Athens
last year, but had to back out
due to lower back problems.
Yet when it comes to person
al accolades, the tall and hulk
ing Thornqvist echoes the sen
timents of his coach.
“My point means just as
much as anybody else’s in the
team score,” Thornqvist said.
“It’s never a matter of individu
al achievement with our team
and that’s why win.”
“When I hurt my back again
this year, everyone else
stepped up and played that
much better,” he said. “This is
by far the best team I’ve ever
played for.”
Senior tri-captains Bryan
Jones, Chris Mumford and Joe
Frierson also play instrumen
tal roles in this year’s success.
Though each player won his
flight in ACC regular season
play, all three have provided
separate contributions vital to
the team.
Jones, a fourth-year starter
who suffered an injury-riddled
junior season, bounced back in
convincing fashion this year.
He opened the season upset
ting Georgia's Wade McGuire
to win the championship of the
Southern Collegiates in Athens
last Fall.
The 19th-ranked senior com
bines with Thornqvist to give
North Carolina the powerful
one-two punch that will hope
fully guide them to the NCAA
championship match this week.
Jones has won 24 of his last 26
matches entering the tourna
ment.
For Mumford, it has been
his doubles play that has
sparked the Tarheels. The
Richmond, Va., native pairs
with Thornqvist for the na
tion’s 25th-ranked doubles
team.
Frierson, who has been a
double specialist since his ar
rival in Chapel Hill, provides
experience and leadership at
the bottom half of the line-up.
The senior, who grew up in
Athens recorded a 23-7 mark
at No. 5 and 6 singles this year.
Joe’s twin brother Jack
Frierson plays for third-ranked
Georgia. Joe admitted that he
will be a little nervous finish
ing his career in front of his
home town.
“It's going to be something
else playing there," Joe said
“It will be weird playing in
front of some of those old faces,
wondering if they are cheering
for you or not"
Sophomore Woody Webb and
junior Sean Steinour round out
the starting line-up for North
Carolina. Webb, who trans
ferred from LSU without ever
playing in a match, plays No. 3
singles and has soared as high
as No. 62 in the Volvo
Collegiate Rankings this
spring.
Smashing
Apartments