There will be no tents or bonfires in anticipation for the latest installment of the North Carolina-Duke rivalry, but today Blue Devil fans will have one of their last opportunities to watch Duke notch another win against the Tar Heels.
Unfortunately, they will have to travel into enemy territory.
The men's tennis team will travel to Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina at 3 p.m. today.
On the surface, the matchup seems lopsided. The No. 3 Blue Devils (16-2, 6-0 in the ACC) overmatch the 74th-ranked Tar Heels (11-12, 3-4) in singles and doubles.
Both teams own their own respective streaks. Duke holds a 22-match regular season conference winning streak and 10 straight wins overall. UNC recently halted a four-match downslide in the ACC, upsetting 48th-ranked N.C. State on Wednesday.
Underneath the surface, though, there are the intangibles that always accompany any competition against the Tar Heels.
"Whenever you play North Carolina in any sport," coach Jay Lapidus said, "there is added excitement. Strange things happen."
Last season, the 18th-ranked Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels, 6-1, with the aid of then-freshman Marko Cerenko. Playing No. 6 singles, Cerenko finished off UNC's Michael Glass to cement the Duke victory.
This season, Cerenko has continued his winning influence, compiling a nine-match winning streak at Nos. 5 and 6 singles.
"Marko's been unbelievable," Lapidus said. "When we've had dings or bruises, we've called for him to play No. 5 or 6 for us. He's been unheralded because he plays lower positions, but a point at No. 1 is the same as a point at No. 5. He's really come through for us."
Besides Cerenko, North Carolina will have to contend with Duke's arsenal of nationally ranked starters, all of whom rank in the top 100.
The Blue Devils' depth does not stop there. This season Dmitry Muzyka and senior Jordan Wile form the 24th-ranked doubles team in the country, having won 10 straight doubles matches.
Duke's depth poses another threat to the beleaguered Tar Heels, as Lapidus could exercise the option to rearrange the lineup to keep North Carolina off balance. The Blue Devils switched their normal positions for the first time this season over the weekend to record their last two ACC wins over Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Lapidus may not choose to switch his lineup, but "[the Blue Devils] are not taking anything for granted."
Granted, Duke is heavily favored to beat UNC, extending the Blue Devils' streak to 23 ACC wins and setting Duke up to close out a perfect ACC season against Virginia, but then again, anything can happen in enemy territory.
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