For the first time in several years, the men's tennis team enters the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as somewhat of an underdog. During the regular season, the 10th-ranked Blue Devils uncharacteristically dropped two league matches, falling to both Florida State and North Carolina.
But much to Duke's delight, a rematch with both teams is possible in this weekend's tourney in Greenwood, S. C. As the No. 3 seed, the Blue Devils (15-5, 6-2 in the ACC) will face Georgia Tech in the opening round. Duke will face the winner of the Florida State-Wake Forest matchup in the semis, and, if both teams advance, a Carolina-Duke championship match could determine the league champion.
"It'd be fun to get another chance to play North Carolina," senior Rob Chess said. "We want to go out and give ourselves the best chance to win. I just think that we're happy that we hopefully will have the chance to play the two teams we lost to this year."
Despite being considered the underdog, the Blue Devils are still the three-time defending champions. Chess and fellow senior Peter Ayers have played a vital role in all three championships, having both competed in singles and doubles since they were freshmen.
"Rob and Pete have been part of three successive wins for us, and I would really love to see them go out with a clean sweep in the ACC Tournament," head coach Jay Lapidus said. "That would be a great experience for them, and a great tribute for what they've done for our program."
Although Chess and Ayers team up to form the 11th-ranked doubles pair in the nation, Lapidus feels that different doubles combinations could be one of the keys to a fourth consecutive championship. Freshman Dmitry Muzyka and junior Sven Koehler have formed a solid pair at No. 2 doubles, but the team never could find a winning duo at No. 3.
"I'm really excited about our doubles," Lapidus said. "Rob and Pete have taken a good attitude; they're trying to win it as a team. They've played together three and a half years and have done great for us, but I think to put three really good teams together we had to break them up and use their experience at the Nos. 2 and 3 positions. They've handled it really well.... I think it gives us an opportunity to win at all three positions."
With the change in partners, Lapidus moved Muzyka and Koehler to the first doubles slot, while Chess pairs with junior Adam Gusky at the No. 2 position. Ayers and freshman Jordan Wile fill in with the final duo at No. 3.
Duke had its chances to clinch the regular-season title last week, but lost a heartbreaking 4-3 match to the Tar Heels. Yet the Blue Devils haven't felt the need to adjust their game plan drastically for the tournament.
"We're just kind of taking everything in stride, and trying not to let anything make us too emotional," Chess said. "When we lost, it was disappointing, but our goal all along is to keep a straight path towards hopefully winning the ACCs again. We haven't really changed anything that much."
The third seeding in the tournament is the lowest the Blue Devils have received since Lapidus' first year as head coach in 1991, so the prize might be a little bit sweeter if Duke can claim yet another ACC title.
"We know that it will be tough to win," Chess said. "It makes it a little different this year, too. If we do end up coming through and winning it, it'll be perhaps a little bit more special, just because we struggled a little bit more this year. In past years, although it was really rewarding finishing on top, it was more of a thing where it was something that was expected of us all along."
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