It must seem routine by now for the men's tennis team to win Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.
For most of head coach Jay Lapidus' tenure at Duke, the Blue Devils have proved themselves as the dominant force in the league, winning the last three league titles.
Even though the loss of Chris Pressley and Philippe Moggio, Trinity '95, who both played an integral part of those past three championships, the Blue Devils have reloaded with superior talent from their freshman class, and the team should once again be the ones to beat in ACC play.
"There was a lot of graduation [in the ACC] last year," Lapidus said. "In terms of really experienced teams at a high level, I think it's a two-horse race... between North Carolina and us. North Carolina's going to be good this year. They're going to be tough."
One of the freshman who will play a particularly crucial role for Duke this year is Dmitry Muzyka. The native of Moscow has received extensive competitive experience, playing on the Ukranian Davis Cup team, as well as spending time at Nick Bollettieri's Academy in Bradenton, Fla., before matriculating to Duke.
Muzyka has already achieved several key wins in the fall season of tournaments, advancing through the qualifying round of the National Clay Courts to play in the main draw. Lapidus has already been impressed with the play he has seen from the freshman.
"I think he could be one of the best kids ever to come out of Duke tennis," Lapidus said of Muzyka. "He's probably at a higher level than anyone I've had come in. He'll be solid in there, both in singles and doubles. He'll be a big, big factor his first year."
Jordan Wile joins Muzyka in this year's crop of talented freshmen. Wile hails from River Vale, N.J., and should also be another contributor for the Blue Devils. Bryan Getz rounds out Duke's freshman class, but will not be able to participate this year due to a shoulder injury.
"Jordan Wile has made probably more progress than anyone else on the team this fall," Lapidus said. "He came out of the juniors as a real, real good player, but he's really sort of taken it up a couple of levels the past few months. He's another one that's in the thick of things."
Leading the duo of freshmen and the rest of the team will be seniors Rob Chess and Peter Ayers. The pair played an instrumental part in the Blue Devils' previous three conference titles, and hope not only to capture a fourth consecutive title, but also finally make a big impact on the national scene.
The Blue Devils have received high rankings in the past few years but do not feel that they have always been given their due. For instance, in last year's NCAA tournament draw, Duke faced undefeated and top-ranked Stanford in the opening round of a 16-team bracket, even though it was ranked No. 9 at the time.
This season, the team wants to get the respect it feels it deserves.
"We usually dominate in the ACC, so a lot of teams think that we haven't been tested so they don't think that we deserve the rankings we have," Chess said. "I think that can be used to inspire us, especially during the time of year when we're not being challenged as much as some of the other teams that are in tougher conferences."
The No. 11 Blue Devils have never advanced past the quarterfinals of the NCAAs, but the team hopes that it can surpass that mark this year.
"We have a really good shot," Chess said of the team's chances in the postseason. "I think we're going to be underestimated because of the fact that we lost Philippe [Moggio] and Chris [Pressley]-especially Chris- [but] we might be able to sneak up on some people. I think the freshmen we have are going to step up."
Joining the team of talented freshmen and seniors are three additional contenders for playing time-juniors Sven Koehler and Adam Gusky and sophomore Ramin Pejan.
"This is kind of an unusual year," Lapidus said. "I have a really good problem. I have a lot of good players. It's up to me to try to sort out who's going to be playing where. I told the guys it's something that I'm sure a lot of coaches wish to have that problem-we have so many good players."
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