Good things come to those who wait, and the men's tennis team will not have to wait much longer.
The No. 8 Blue Devils spent last semester in individual tournaments, contending for the top seeds on the squad and refining their skills. Now they only have one more hurdle to clear before the team competitions, which constitute the most crucial part of the season.
This final obstacle is the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Tournament, which begins on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C., and continues through the weekend. The ACC Indoors is a gateway of sorts, offering Duke a taste of conference competition and connecting the individual and team seasons.
"The most important thing we're trying to achieve is to come out with match experience and fine-tune our play before the team matches start," Duke coach Jay Lapidus said. "It's a good opportunity for individuals to play well so that the team can perform better as a whole."
Thursday's events will start with the doubles competition, in which the Blue Devils will enter four doubles teams. Duke will also enter eight players in the ensuing singles event.
Expected to lead the way for the Blue Devils in both singles and doubles is the dynamic duo of sophomore Dmitry Muzyka and senior Sven Koehler. Muzyka, who is ranked 18th nationally and earned 1996 All-ACC and ACC Rookie of the Year accolades, will receive the top seed. Koehler, another 1996 All-ACC athlete, sat out most of the fall due to injury but has since recovered and is now ready to hit the courts.
In addition to the fourth-ranked doubles team of Muzyka and Koehler, the No. 17 doubles team of freshman Doug Root and sophomore Jordan Wile should also make a good showing this weekend, Lapidus said.
Because the ACC Indoors is an individual tournament, team scores will not be counted. Nevertheless, the other ACC teams have their share of talented players who will contend with Muzyka, Koehler and the rest of the Duke squad for the singles and doubles titles. B.J. Traub and Benjamin Cassaigne of Georgia Tech, Daniel Merkert of Wake Forest and Virginia's doubles team of Bear Schofield and Justin Smith could all pose a threat to the Blue Devils.
Although Duke has practiced and competed throughout the fall, it did not hold its first practice of the season until last Thursday. Despite having only played together for a week after the month-long winter break, the Blue Devils believe that their work ethic and their depth will enable several players to advance to the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament.
"Everybody on the team played on their own over break," Lapidus said. "We're a very deep team this year. If any of our guys get hot, they could go very far this weekend."
Just as the ACC Indoors is a gateway to the team tournaments, Duke's performance there will likely foreshadow its performance during the rest of the spring. If all goes well this weekend, the Blue Devils feel that they have the potential to build on a legacy of excellence.
"We have a really strong team this year," Lapidus said. "It's one of the best we've ever had, and we were No. 4 a few years ago. Watching the depth of the team, we have a lot of weapons in the lineup.... Nationally, we've built a great tradition and I think we'll be able to continue it this year."
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