The men's tennis team has won four straight Atlantic Coast Conference championships, but has never advanced past the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The last two trips to the tournament have resulted in first-round defeats. This year, however, the Blue Devils hope to make a much larger impact on the national scene.
"We have a really good team this year," senior co-captain Adam Gusky said. "It's the strongest team down the ladder that we've had since I was a freshman," when the Blue Devils entered the NCAA Tournament with a No. 4 national ranking.
Duke returns several key players from last year's squad, which finished 20-6 (6-2 in the ACC). Notably missing from the Blue Devils' lineup, however, are graduated All-Americans Peter Ayers and Rob Chess. Chess stood out as a team leader, playing No. 1 singles last year en route to becoming Duke's all-time winningest singles player. Ayers played solidly at No. 3 or No. 4 singles and teamed with then-freshman Dmitry Muzyka to form a top-25 doubles team. Despite this tremendous loss, the Blue Devils believe that their depth will make them a better team than they were a year ago.
"I think we'll be stronger this year in the lower positions," coach Jay Lapidus said. "We're a very, very solid group up and down the lines. I think we had a couple of weak spots in the lineup last year. When I look at the lineup this year, I don't feel we have a real weak point."
Lapidus can boast of his depth because of a strong recruiting class. Junior Alberto Brause transferred from Michigan State last summer and went 9-3 in the fall. In the first tournament this spring, the ACC Indoors, Brause advanced all the way to the finals. Freshmen Porter Jones and Doug Root are already making names for themselves, earning fall records of 10-4 and 11-4, respectively. Root and sophomore Jordan Wile make up the team's No. 2 doubles team, which won the doubles championship at the ACC Indoors two weeks ago.
Leading the way for Duke, however, will be Muzyka. The team's No. 2 singles player his entire freshman year, Muzyka led Duke with 29 wins and became the first Blue Devil to win ACC Rookie of the Year honors. A member of the Ukranian Davis Cup Team, Muzyka is ranked No. 18 in singles and is ready to play with the nation's elite.
"He's a great team player," Lapidus said. "He's the type of player I can put in a team match in a pressure situation and I have confidence in him.
"I think he's one of the best guys in the country. He's ranked No. 18, but I think he's even better than that. When team matches are on the line, he brings it up to a higher level. He's a great kid to have on the team."
Senior co-captain Sven Koehler joins Muzyka to form one of the nation's top doubles teams. Last October, the duo advanced to the finals of the All-American Tournament, upsetting the nation's No. 1 doubles team along the way. Although Muzyka and Koehler had to default their finals match due to injury, they hold the nation's No. 4 ranking.
Koehler may not receive as much attention as his doubles partner, but he can fend for himself in singles play. He won 27 matches at No. 4 singles last year, placing second among all Blue Devils.
The other co-captain, senior Adam Gusky, has been hampered with a back injury throughout his career, but now appears healthy. When he did see action last year, Gusky alternated between Nos. 3, 4 and 5 singles. In 1995 he was named All-ACC, and in his entire career he has only lost one ACC match. This season he will likely team with Jones to form the No. 3 doubles team.
The Blue Devils are placing great emphasis on doubles this year, and given their depth, doubles matches could be one of their strong points. In the NCAA Tournament, doubles matches precede singles, so getting off to a strong start with doubles can help teams tremendously.
"I think our doubles can be really strong," Lapidus said. "This year we can all be confident in each other. We can believe our teammates can pick up the slack if we have an off day."
Despite its well-rounded attack, Duke will have to overcome many obstacles to reach this year's NCAA Tournament. A challenging schedule pits the Blue Devils against 10 of the nation's top 30 teams.
While many Duke students will enjoy a leisurely spring break this March, the Blue Devils will go on a strenuous road trip, facing South Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas Christian and Texas, all currently ranked in the top 11, in less than one week's time. Lapidus believes the schedule will push his team and make it more prepared for the tournament.
Duke is expected to win its sixth ACC championship in seven years, but the ACC championship has become old hat for the Blue Devils. This year, they want a championship of a much larger scale.
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