The Blue Devils made a statement against rival North Carolina in their regular-season match last year with a 7-0 shutout. But the Tar Heels responded just nine days later to upset Duke, 4-2, in the first round of the ACC Championships.
People can expect No. 6 Duke and No. 12 UNC to have a very competitive match at 4 p.m. this afternoon at Ambler Tennis Stadium after the teams split both contests last year.
"The thing about them is they're all really good fighters," Duke assistant coach Ramsey Smith said of UNC (21-2, 6-2 in the ACC). "They play with a lot of energy, especially against us."
Duke (15-5, 7-1) entered the ACC Championships last season without Peter Schultz, who graduated last year, and current senior Stephen Amritraj, who was out for the season with a torn ACL.
"When they beat us last year, we weren't at full strength," Amritraj said. "They earned it, but this definitely motivates us extra. We're going to be prepared to give them the same kind of beating that we did [in last year's regular-season match]."
In addition to the absence of two nationally-ranked players in that match, the Blue Devils who were in the lineup that day did not bring their best game.
"I felt we had enough depth," senior Ludovic Walter said. "The guys on the court didn't play as well. I didn't play as well in the ACC Tournament. I lost to the number one guy in straight sets, and the week before I beat him in straight sets."
The Blue Devils' practices for this meeting were no different from their preparation for other conference matches.
"We've been playing a lot of matches," Smith said. "We just went through a bunch of normal drills and want to get in a rhythm. We're expecting a tough match."
Smith mentioned three Tar Heels that might give the Blue Devils some trouble tomorrow: senior Derek Porter and sophomores Benjamin Carlotti and Will Plyler.
"They're three really good grinders," Smith said.
With a victory, the Blue Devils would even the score in the Carlyle Cup-a competition between the two rival universities that combines the results of several sports-at 10 points a piece.
This year, Duke has won 12 of 17 matchups against ranked opponents. North Carolina has yet to face a top-10 opponent this season.
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