Two standout UNC student-athletes earned Player of the Week honors from the ACC Tuesday afternoon. Brian Cernoch of the men’s tennis team and Chris Gray of the men’s lacrosse team each took home the weekly awards.
Though it came in a losing effort against Columbia, Cernoch still gave an outstanding performance for the Tar Heels Saturday. Against the Lions’ Alex Kotzen, ranked No. 7 in the country in singles, Cernoch fought back from a loss in the first set to take the next two by identical 6-3 scores and claim the victory. It’s the third time this season Cernoch has defeated a top-10 opponent, though the other two came in doubles with partner Mac Kiger. This is the first time Cernoch has been named ACC Player of the Week. He and Kiger were named Doubles Team of the Week twice in February.
Gray scorched the nets all day long in a ranked showdown with No. 13 Johns Hopkins Sunday. Gray scored seven goals in the win over the Blue Jays, which is the second-highest single-game mark of his career. He added two assists on Sunday, and combined with his two goals and three assists against Brown on Wednesday, Gray tallied a total of 14 points during the two wins. This is the first time this season Gray has won Offensive Player of the Week honors, and the seventh time he has won it in his career.
Cernoch and the men’s tennis team will open ACC play this Friday at home against Virginia Tech, while Gray and the men’s lacrosse team will host another ranked opponent at Dorrance Field Saturday when No. 20 Denver visits.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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