University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC To Play Duke In Rivalry Match On Tuesday
March 30, 2009 | Men's Tennis
March 30, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina Tar Heels will face their longtime neighboring rival, the Duke Blue Devils, in a top-45 ACC match on Tuesday.
UNC heads into the match ranked 42nd in the nation with a 13-5 record (2-3 in the ACC) while Duke is ranked 30th with a mark of 11-5 (4-2).
Both Carolina and Duke played the same two opponents this weekend, Maryland and Boston College, leading up to their showdown on March 31. The Blue Devils beat the Terrapins 5-2 and the Eagles 7-0, while the Tar Heels won every match played in two 7-0 victories.
In 2008, UNC played Duke twice and won both matches. The second victory was an emotional 4-2 decision that sent the Tar Heels to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
A few of the Tar Heels' key players have already experienced success against Duke in preseason play this year. Clay Donato and Taylor Fogleman, ranked fifth in the nation at the time in doubles, scored an 8-3 win over Duke's then-No. 38 Kiril Dimitrov and Alain Michel at the Duke Invitational on Jan. 19. Donato, who was also ranked 73rd in singles, beat then-No. 25 Reid Carleton 6-1, 6-0, while then-No. 59 Fogleman experienced similar success in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dimitrov, who was ranked 45th.
Tuesday's match will be worth one point in the 2008-09 Carlyle Cup, the annual all-sports competition between the two schools. UNC currently leads the 2008-09 standings 11.5 points to 6.5. Points are awarded for head-to-head competitions in 23 varsity sports. Carolina has won the Cup four times, Duke has won three times and there has been one tie.
The match will be played at 3 p.m. at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Players Mentioned
