The unpredictable nature of NCAA Tournament play teaches a team to be prepared for just about anything. Except unexpected childbirths.
On Monday, the ninth-seeded Blue Devils (24-5) boarded a plane to Champaign, Ill. where they will take on No. 8 Kentucky (22-11) in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. But they did so without head coach Ramsey Smith.
While the team was on its way to the airport, Smith was on his way to the Duke Birthing Center where he and his wife, Kathleen Smith, welcomed a newborn baby girl into the world.
“It’s not the most ideal timing in the middle of NCAAs, but it is what it is,” Smith said. “Now [assistant coach Jonathan] Stokke is in charge.”
With Stokke at the helm, the Blue Devils and Wildcats will square off Thursday at 8 p.m. at Kahn Outdoor Tennis Center.
Following back-to-back 4-0 sweeps against Coastal Carolina and UNC-Wilmington last weekend, Smith said he is confident the team will be prepared for a tight match against Kentucky. He feels that his squad has made some important strides in their games since the ACC Tournament and are more motivated than ever to compete at a high level against the top teams in the country.
“Losing to Wake Forest in the semifinals was a bit of a wake-up call for us,” Smith said. “Right now we’re underdogs, but I think we’re on track.”
Playing in the SEC, a conference that is stocked with tennis talent, the Wildcats have a lot of experience competing against top-25 teams this season. Smith noted that if the Blue Devils play like they have nothing to lose, they will fare well against higher-ranked teams.
Senior Henrique Cunha will put his undefeated singles record on the line once again against Kentucky, when the No. 9 singles player in the country takes on fifth-ranked Anthony Rossi. No. 23 Tom Jomby will play in the second singles spot for the Wildcats, and should pose a challenge for 43rd-ranked Fred Saba.
Since the ACC Tournament, Duke has started to implement what Smith calls “small group practices” in an effort to give the players more for individualized attention in preparation for NCAA competition.
The tactic appeared to pay off in the Blue Devils’ first- and second-round matches, in which their singles and doubles players defeated their opponents with relative ease.
“Our practices have been more efficient, which seems to have made the biggest difference” Smith said. “We’ve been focusing a lot more on doubles as well and I think that’s going to be important for the rest of the tournament.”
If the Blue Devils advance past Kentucky, they could move on to face No. 1 UCLA in the quarterfinals. But Smith says that in the past, the team has succeeded when playing the role of the underdog.
“It takes a little bit of pressure off the guys,” Smith said. “After winning those two matches to make it to the Round of 16, the guys can play a bit littler looser and just go after it and whatever happens, happens.”
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