Bucknell University Athletics
Sunday, January 23
Chapel Hill, N.C.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
0
at
7
North Carolina
Photo by: JEFFREY A. CAMARATI
Bucknell Men’s Tennis Topped by No. 13 North Carolina
1/23/2022 4:49:00 PM | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Bucknell men's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to 13th-ranked North Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. Despite the loss, the Bison had a number of strong battles against one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tar Heels, playing their spring dual-match opener, took the doubles point with 6-2 wins on Courts 2 and 3, but Bucknell was closing in on a win at No. 1 before the match was halted once the point was clinched. Michael Owen and Nick Mueller held a 5-3 lead on Brian Cernoch and Mac Kiger, but didn't get the chance to serve for the match.
Cernoch is the 60th-ranked singles player in the country in the latest ITA rankings, and he picked up North Carolina's first singles point with a win over Mueller at No. 1.
Owen at No. 2 and Ink Chen at No. 4 nearly leveled their matches with close calls in their second sets. Kiger had to come from behind to beat Owen 7-5 in the second set. In the last remaining match on the courts, Henry Lieberman outlasted Chen 9-7 in a second-set tiebreaker.
Bucknell and North Carolina were originally scheduled to play twice on Sunday, but the schedule was adjusted to a single match due to inclement weather.
After opening the spring campaign with challenging duals against James Madison and UNC, Bucknell has another tough test coming up next Saturday with matches against Toledo and Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.
Bucknell vs North Carolina
Jan 23, 2022 at Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
#13 North Carolina 7, Bucknell 0
Singles competition
1. #60 Brian Cernoch (NC) def. Nick Mueller (BUCK) 6-0, 6-0
2. Mac Kiger (NC) def. Michael Owen (BUCK) 6-2, 7-5
3. Logan Zapp (NC) def. Tim Zelikovsky (BUCK) 6-4, 6-0
4. Henry Lieberman (NC) def. Ink Chen (BUCK) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
5. Peter Murphy (NC) def. Nicholas Grunig (BUCK) 6-1, 6-2
6. Mark Dillon (NC) def. Carlos Carvalho (BUCK) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Brian Cernoch/Mac Kiger (NC) vs. Michael Owen/Nick Mueller (BUCK) 3-5, unfinished
2. #20 Logan Zapp/Casey Kania (NC) def. Tim Zelikovsky/Carlos Carvalho (BUCK) 6-2
3. Henry Lieberman/Peter Murphy (NC) def. Ink Chen/Nicholas Grunig (BUCK) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,6,5,3,2)
The Tar Heels, playing their spring dual-match opener, took the doubles point with 6-2 wins on Courts 2 and 3, but Bucknell was closing in on a win at No. 1 before the match was halted once the point was clinched. Michael Owen and Nick Mueller held a 5-3 lead on Brian Cernoch and Mac Kiger, but didn't get the chance to serve for the match.
Cernoch is the 60th-ranked singles player in the country in the latest ITA rankings, and he picked up North Carolina's first singles point with a win over Mueller at No. 1.
Owen at No. 2 and Ink Chen at No. 4 nearly leveled their matches with close calls in their second sets. Kiger had to come from behind to beat Owen 7-5 in the second set. In the last remaining match on the courts, Henry Lieberman outlasted Chen 9-7 in a second-set tiebreaker.
Bucknell and North Carolina were originally scheduled to play twice on Sunday, but the schedule was adjusted to a single match due to inclement weather.
After opening the spring campaign with challenging duals against James Madison and UNC, Bucknell has another tough test coming up next Saturday with matches against Toledo and Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.
Bucknell vs North Carolina
Jan 23, 2022 at Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
#13 North Carolina 7, Bucknell 0
Singles competition
1. #60 Brian Cernoch (NC) def. Nick Mueller (BUCK) 6-0, 6-0
2. Mac Kiger (NC) def. Michael Owen (BUCK) 6-2, 7-5
3. Logan Zapp (NC) def. Tim Zelikovsky (BUCK) 6-4, 6-0
4. Henry Lieberman (NC) def. Ink Chen (BUCK) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
5. Peter Murphy (NC) def. Nicholas Grunig (BUCK) 6-1, 6-2
6. Mark Dillon (NC) def. Carlos Carvalho (BUCK) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Brian Cernoch/Mac Kiger (NC) vs. Michael Owen/Nick Mueller (BUCK) 3-5, unfinished
2. #20 Logan Zapp/Casey Kania (NC) def. Tim Zelikovsky/Carlos Carvalho (BUCK) 6-2
3. Henry Lieberman/Peter Murphy (NC) def. Ink Chen/Nicholas Grunig (BUCK) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,6,5,3,2)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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