With a 9-0 victory against Western Harnett earlier this week, the Union Pines boys' tennis team wrapped up another undefeated conference campaign to capture its fourth consecutive Cape Fear Valley (CFV) conference championship.

Guided by seniors Will Fondrie, Jake Waits, Josh Bryant and Dillon Rice, the Vikings have racked up 13 shutouts in 14 CFV matches this year and, at 16-1 overall, are the seventh ranked team in the current North Carolina High School Tennis Coaches Association 3A poll.

Head coach John Frye feels his seniors are a great group of kids.

"It has been just a joy having them for four years," said Frye. "They always arrive at practice early and stay late trying to get it right and striving to get better. Each year they have improved and every coach has pride when he has seniors who are playing their best in their last year of competition and these four are better than they have ever been and are playing their best tennis right now."

The 2009 Vike seniors' current streak of four straight league titles has been matched only two other times in history. The Union Pines boys' won 10 consecutive conference tennis championships from 1986-1995 and tallied five straight titles from 1997 through 2001.

"For this group to win a conference regular season championship in each of their four years as Vikings is truly a special achievement," said Frye.

Union Pines will compete in the CFV conference tournament at O. T. Sloan Park and Southern Lee High School on Tuesday and Wednesday. The two-day event is an individual singles and doubles competition.

"We are very excited (about the conference tournament), because we have the top two seeds in singles and doubles," said Frye.

Then the Vikings will begin the 3A dual state playoffs on Monday May 4, when they host Rocky Mount at 4 p.m in Cameron.

Contact F.W. Manning II at 639-5481 or by e-mail at fwm2@nc.rr.com