The Blue Devils open ACC play with a visit to an N.C. State team in the midst of one of its best starts in program history.
No. 17 Duke will travel to Raleigh to face No. 19 N.C. State March 9. Sunday will mark the 100th match between these in-state foes, with the Blue Devils dominating the series with 97 wins. The two teams have not been ranked this closely since the 2007 season, and the Wolfpack’s No. 19 ranking is tied for highest in program history.
“It’s definitely one of the best teams they’ve had since I’ve been here at Duke,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “They don’t have that one guy that just stands out that is the dominant one…. They’re very deep and they have a lot of good players and they play very good doubles.”
N.C. State’s duo of Nick Horton and Sean Weber are ranked 32nd in the nation and will compete at the second doubles position, where the Wolfpack has not dropped a match all season. Duke’s Michael Redlicki and Jason Tahir, ranked 33rd, will compete in the top doubles spot, taking on the undefeated pair of Ian Dempster and Robbie Mudge.
The Wolfpack doubles teams have combined for 22 wins in dual competition this season. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (7-3) have won doubles competition for the last three matches, giving them an edge heading into singles. The doubles point could make or break the match, as five of N.C. State’s 11 matches have been decided by a score of 4-3.
“We can certainly win without the doubles point, but it certainly makes life a lot easier, and we’ve gotten into a pretty good rhythm with our doubles recently,” Smith said. “[We’re] looking to come out with some good energy, be aggressive and hope to take that point.”
The top of the N.C. State (9-2) lineup features No. 45 Austin Powell, No. 91 Robbie Mudge and No. 122 Thomas Weigel facing off against three of Duke’s four ranked singles competitors. All six Wolfpack players have appeared at multiple spots in the singles lineup this season.
“They’re solid in every spot. They don’t really drop off too much, so they can really play their top four guys in any order because they’re all pretty similar, and they’ve kind of done that—they’ve shifted and shifted guys around,” Smith said. “They’re good in every position, and they’re good in doubles—they’re solid.”
Both teams have performed well in nonconference play. N.C. State notched ranked wins against VCU and Michigan, both by a match score of 4-3. Duke took on both opponents soon after, claiming 4-0 and 7-0 wins, respectively.
The match will be played on the Wolfpack’s home courts, where they have had their greatest success this season. The team has not lost at home all season, and the program’s lone two wins against Duke took place in Raleigh as well.
In addition to being a tight match between two closely ranked teams, Sunday also opens ACC competition for both teams. Smith noted that due to the expansion of the conference, ACC play is beginning earlier in the year than usual. The last matchup between these two teams came on the opposite end of the schedule in the final bout of the regular season, with Duke emerging victorious 7-0 and gaining momentum straight into the 2013 conference tournament.
“Obviously one of our big goals is to do well and position ourselves well in the ACC regular season for the tournament,” Smith said. “We’re starting off with a tough opponent on the road, and they’re a team that wants to beat us badly. I’m excited that we’re getting into ACC season time.”
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