With Virginia leading 2-1, juniors Brayden Schnur and Ronnie Schneider fought to wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, both pulling out third-set tie-breaker victories to pull UNC ahead. In the third set, Schneider overcame a 5-3 deficit with his opponent, second-ranked Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, twice serving for the match.
UNC then led 3-2 and junior Jack Murray sealed the championship with a 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 win at No. 4.
“‘Happiness’ is a huge understatement,” Murray said. “Words can’t begin to describe how it feels to get the job done for my team and coaches. Our team has worked so hard and this was the epitome of all that work.”
The Tar Heels, currently ranked No. 7 nationally and playing as the third seed in this tournament, improved to 10-0 on the season with the win. The Cavaliers (8-1) had won 140 consecutive matches against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, the longest such streak in conference history in any sport.
Virginia is a five-time ITA National Indoors champion, while the Tar Heels were playing in their first-ever final and had never even reached the semifinals prior to this year. The Cavaliers ran out to an early 2-0 lead, winning the doubles point and also the fifth singles spot, where sophomore Robert Kelly suffered his first loss of the year, 6-2, 6-3 to J.C. Aragone.
Playing at No. 6, freshman Anu Kodali won in straight sets get the Tar Heels on the board at 2-1.
“It was a great college match,” said UNC coach Sam Paul. “We know Virginia has a great team and it was a battle all the way to the end. I’m so proud of my guys and how hard they fought all the way through. Nobody hung their heads after the doubles point – they just kept working hard. I’m really happy for them.”
Next up for UNC is a home match against Wofford on Sunday, Feb. 21.
#7 North Carolina 4, #1 Virginia 2
Doubles
Order of match finish: (1,3)
1. #42 Ryan Shane/Luca Corinteli (UVa) def. #3 Robert Kelly/Brett Clark (UNC), 6-3
2. #4 Mac Styslinger/Thai-Son Kwiatkowski vs. Brayden Schnur/Jack Murray (UNC), 4-3 DNF
3. J.C. Aragone/Collin Altamirano (UVa) def. Ronnie Schneider/Blaine Boyden (UNC), 6-3
Singles
Order of match finish: (5,6,1,2,4)
1. Brayden Schnur (UNC) def. #27 Ryan Shane (UVa), 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4)
2. #23 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. #2 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (UVa), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)
3. #29 Brett Clark (UNC) vs. Collin Altamirano (UVa), 1-6, 7-6, 5-4 DNF
4. #89 Jack Murray (UNC) vs. #78 Mac Styslinger (UVa), 6-4, 0-6, 7-5
5. J.C. Aragone (UVa) def. #62 Robert Kelly (UNC), 6-2, 6-3
6. Anu Kodali (UNC) def. Henrik Wiersholm (UVa), 6-2, 6-2
Records: North Carolina 10-0, Virginia 8-1
Notes: UNC snaps Virginia’s 140-match winning streak vs. ACC opponents
