By Jordan Shim-

Men’s tennis fell to No. 12 ranked North Carolina 6-1 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

Five straight points secured the victory for the Tar Heels, but freshman Parker Wynn fought to the end to get the point for the Cards. Coach Rex Ecarma said his team needs to regroup for the ACC Championships.

“We didn’t play well,” Ecarma said. “North Carolina came very prepared. No chink in the armor, no crack in the ice, except on No. 2 singles court with Parker, but he forced his way. So they look like a team that can contend in the ACC Championships. They’re peaking right now.”

In doubles action, North Carolina took a quick 1-0 lead. After Robert Kelly and Josh Peck had defeated Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff and Ciro Lampasas 6-1, Jack Murray and Simon Soendegaard beat No. 47 Sean Donohue and Parker Wynn by the same scoreline to secure the point.

Carolina took five straight points to start the afternoon. In singles action, George Hedley fell to Jack Murray in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Robert Kelly defeated Nicolas Rouanet 6-0. 6-2 to give the Tar Heels a 3-0 advantage. A 6-2, 6-2 win by Anu Kodali over Clement Filho made it 4-0 for Carolina. Blaine Boyden defeated Brandon Lancaster 6-2, 6-1.

Wynn gave the U of L their only point with an over Simon Soendagaard 2-6, 6-3, 10-3. Nineteenth-ranked Ronnie Schneider defeated Morin-Kougoucheff 6-2, 4-6, 10-3 to cap the afternoon.

After a solid start in the conference, to finish .500 left a sour taste in the team’s mouth.

“If you saw our record last year, which was bad, we’re definitely the most improved team in the conference,” Ecarma said. “Several other teams have told me that. Georgia Tech and many of the coaches have complimented the guy’s performance. We were 5-2 and 6-3 at that time. But I take pride in what my colleagues have said, but when you’re 6-3, you don’t want to finish 6-6. You want to be 8-4. You want to be better than what you were three weeks ago. We’re disappointed, but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.”

Men’s tennis starts the ACC tournament on April 26.

Photo by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal