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16 Thursday, April 20, 2000 pWrln . _ /1I fc DTH/KATE MELLNIK Senior Tripp Phillips, the No. 1 singles player on the North Carolina men's tennis team, won nine of his 11 singles matches this season. lIjPIB 11 Sir I !rl CORPORATE LESSON *2: K 2000 Mazda Protege V £oAf£ PREPARED. [| |”r •: We've got you covered there. When BjL\' -JJI M ’ you buy any new 1999 or 2000 R till*"' if I v Mazda, you can choose the "Get i| Professional Kit” and we’ll Connecied Organizer ' „ / jmkl jfPr in Ii W o 1 - year subscription to if you’re into mstont gratification, get ■I I•4I1 ft ]■ k Wl,hpurchase A 400 CUSTOMER CASH onthespoti ■ ■ll ■ V J _ I any Jf !' 1999 or 2000 IiIHH H*T H T l\ T i ▼I H | rfOl Mazda vehicle Either way, if you purchase, you won’t have to fork out any monthly payments for 180 1-800-639-1000 kHf II "GET PROFESSIONAL KIT" (1) Payment deferral not available in PA and limited in Ml and DC. Offer not available on lease contracts. 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Tennis Teams to Vie for ACC Titles By Kelly Lusk Staff Writer If the regular season was any indica tion, the North Carolina men’s tennis team will have an easy road to the ACC championship finals this weekend in Norcross, Ga. Second-seeded UNC defeated every team in their bracket during the regular season. The Tar Heels face seventh-seed- ed Wake Forest in the quarterfinals Friday. Less than a week ago, UNC stomped the Demon Deacons 6-0, sweeping sin gles. Even so, the Tar Heels aren’t assuming victory yet. “Teams have improved. Everyone is peaking at this time of year. We expect a big battle. ” Sam Paul UNC Men's Tennis Coach “Teams have improved,” coach Sam Paul said. “Everyone is peaking at this time of year. We expect a big battle.” If the Tar Heels are victorious, they’ll match up with the winner of the contest between No. 3 Clemson and No. 6 Georgia Tech. UNC defeated both of those teams by 6-1 scores. But the Tar Heels hit a couple of speed bumps on their otherwise carefree cruise down the conference road. After riding an 11-game winning streak, UNC finally faltered in consecutive matches against Duke and Virginia last week. “(The loss to Virginia) served as a Sports wake-up call,” junior David Cheatwood said. “Anybody can beat anybody. We have to take everybody seriously.” Senior Tripp Phillips will be the dri ving force in UNC’s run at a tourna ment tide. After redshirting last season, Phillips has been a blessing to the Tar Heel squad. He beat the No. 1 player in the nation and racked up a 9-2 ACC record. In his final ACC appearance, Phillips is looking for nothing but a championship. “With this year’s team, we have a very legiti mate chance,” Phillips said. Although his game has been consistent through out the regular sea son, Phillips recently made an adjustment that might give him anew edge over any opponents. “My friend Dave Com showed me (I was breaking my wrist) on my volleys,” Phillips said. “I was missing really easy volleys, but (the adjustment) has really helped my game.” Although Phillips is no doubt the star of the UNC men’s tennis show, he is supported by a strong cast. The other five Tar Heel men also boast winning ACC records. Cheatwood is expected to make a strong showing in the No. 3 slot. He fin ished the season 10-3 in the ACC. Two Tar Heels will likely be mak ing their first ACC championship appearances in singles. But Paul said the team’s tough schedule has prepared both freshman Trystan Meniane and sophomore Marcio Petrone for the heightened intensity of post season play. In contrast to North Carolina women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist changed his lineup, reordering seeds three through six. the Tar Heel men, UNC’s women have a longer road to the ACC championship finals than most of their conference foes. And there’s a road block right around the first comer. Eighth-seeded UNC hopes to end its four-match conference losing streak when it plays No. 9 N.C. State today in the first round. The Tar Heels shut out N.C. State in the regular season. If the Tar Heels repeat their regular season performance against the Wolfpack, they face top-seeded Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. The Demon Deacons trounced the Tar Heels 8-1 a week ago. Coach Roland Thomqvist has since tweaked the lineup so that only No. 1 Marlene Mejia and No. 2 Jessica Zaganczyk will be playing at their regu lar-season posts. Freshman Kendrick Bunn played at ©bp Saily ©ar Uppl No. 4 for most of the regular season, but she will move up to the No. 3 slot for the tournament. Bunn’s six-match winning streak contributed to Thomqvist’s deci sion to switch up his lineup. “Kendrick has played the best tennis on the team lately,” Thomqvist said. - The return of junior Erin Niebling also contributed to the seeding shift. Niebling battled a knee injury for most of the season but re-entered the lineup for UNC’s final regular-season match against Duke. Her victory against the Blue Devils showed Thomqvist that she was ready for the tournament. “I’m very confident going into the tournament,” Niebling said. “My injury has been up and down, but I can work through it." At the start of the season, the Tar Heels found a winner in freshman Marlene Mejia. But since Mejia sat out three matches with tendinitis, her con sistency has faltered. She dropped her last two conference matches, both in straight sets. “It’s mental,” Mejia said. “(I need to) believe in myself and focus what’s 'Cm the court at that time.” While the women’s road might Hot, be as easy as the men’s, both teams are driving toward the same goal. Said Thornqvist, “We’re looking at ACC championship as the start of , a whole new season.” - . The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu. Golf Feels Relaxed At Course UNC has won two ACC titles at the Old North State Club in the last six seasons and tied for second last year. By Bret Strelow Assistant Sports Editor The Old North State Club, nestled next to Badin Lake in the Uwharrie National Forest, has been a sanctuary for the North Carolina men’s golf team. UNC has found its safety net at the course, which has been home to the. ACC Championships five out of the last six seasons. The Tar Heels won the title there in 1995 and ’96 and finished in a tie for second place with Duke last year. “We’ve had a lot of success at this golf course,” UNC senior Paul Daniel said. “Everybody on the team is com fortable where we’re playing. Sometimes with golf courses, it makes a big difference.” It might have to. The 2000 campaign has not gone according to plan for a team that returned three senior starters from last year’s lineup. In four spring tournaments, North Carolina has recorded eighth and ninth-place finishes and has finished 10th twice. The only ACC squads the Tar Heels have beaten in those tournaments are Virginia and Florida State. “We have to forget about the disappointment and try to play hard," Daniel said. “It hasn’t BL * * mSB UNC senior Paul Daniel tied for seventh at last year's ACC Championships with a 1-over total of 217. been from a lack of effort. We can get it* turned around.” Daniel’s confidence has legitimacy. A - ago, he tied for seventh place indi- Z vidually at the ACC Championships) with a 1-over-par total of 217. Daniel led the tournament with 13 birdies and tied! Duke’s Marc Chatelain with a 3-under-) par total at the par threes. His quick; work on the greens helped the Tar; Heels to a team-leading 47 birdies, six' more than champion Georgia Tech had.' But Daniel and his Tar Heel team-* mates haven’t been visiting the bird' sanctuary as frequendy this season. Many of the Tar Heels’ putts, like their expectadons, have come up short. Senior Max Harris, who has taken/ home UNC’s top finish in its last three', tournaments, was even grounded at last; week’s Bell South Intercollegiate in Cary.; He three-putted twice on the back nine; on his way to a final-round 74. Conference rivals Wake Forest and* N.C. State beat the Tar Heels by 22 and* 20 strokes, respectively, to capture first-) and second-place finishes. “I look at it as the biggest downfall,) our putting,” Daniel said. “We’ve been) really streaky.” The Sports Editor can be reachecfM sports@unc.ectu,
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 20, 2000, edition 1
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