Men's Tennis Earns No. 5 Seed in NCAA Tournament; Hosts First/Second Rounds for the First Time

NCAA TOURNAMENT NEWS & NOTES
22-5 Overall ** 8-0 ACC ** Ranked No. 6 ** 2000 ACC Champions
Duke plays at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 versus Charleston Southern at the Duke Tennis Stadium.

2000 Spring Schedule/Results

For the first time in program history, the Duke men's tennis team will host an NCAA Regional at the Duke Tennis Stadium/Sheffield Center on May 13 and 14. The fifth-seeded Blue Devils, who earned an automatic bid to the 64-team tournament by winning the ACC title last month, will host Charleston Southern, South Alabama and South Carolina in first and second round action.

South Alabama (18-7), ranked 22nd nationally and champions of the Sun Belt Conference, meets 43rd-ranked South Carolina (9-12, 3-8 SEC) at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 13. Duke (22-5, 8-0 ACC) will host Charleston Southern (17-7, 7-0 Big South), the Big South champions, in a 1:00 p.m. matchup on Saturday. Duke also played Charleston Southern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, winning 4-0 in a match held at Clemson, S.C. Winners of Saturday's matches will face each other at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday for the chance to advance to the round of 16 and continue competing at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.

Blue Devils in the Big Dance for Ninth Straight Year...
The Blue Devils are making their ninth straight and 10th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Duke has posted a 16-9 all-time record in the NCAAs, and has advanced to the national quarterfinals four times - 1993, 94, 97 and 99.

Individuals Get Invites to Championships as Well...
Three singles players and one doubles team will also represent Duke men's tennis at the NCAA Championships. The singles competition consists of a 64-player bracket, while the doubles bracket consists of the top 32 tandems in the country vying for the national championship.

Andres Pedroso (Coral Gables, Fla.), Doug Root (Mendham, N.J.), and Ramsey Smith (Hilton Head, S.C.) all received at-large bids to the NCAA singles bracket. Root, a senior, is making his fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Singles Championship, and is the first Duke player to accomplish this feat since Chris Pressley (1992-95). Root, who is currently ranked 46th in the country, lost in the first round in 1997 and 99 and advanced to the second round in 1998. Pedroso and Smith are making their first appearances in the NCAA Singles Championship. All three players are currently ranked, as Smith is No. 34, Root 46th and Pedroso 48th.

Duke's No. 1 doubles tandem of Root and Smith received an automatic bid to the 32-team doubles bracket. The duo is currently ranked fifth nationally, has 26-7 record so far this year, and was the ACC flight champion at No. 1 doubles. Root is making his third appearance in the NCAA Doubles Championship, after making two trips with former Blue Devil Jordan Wile in 1997 and 98. The duo earned All-America honors by advancing to the second round in 1997.

Smith Receives Sportsmanship/Leadership Award...
Duke junior Ramsey Smith was recently named the winner of the Region II Tennis Magazine/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award. The annual award, given only to junior or senior collegiate tennis players, honors tennis accomplishments, sportsmanship, leadership and character as well as humanitarian concern and accomplishments.

Smith, who is Duke's top ranked player, is an ACC Honor Roll student who is also involved in Athletes in Action and Habitat for Humanity. Earlier this season he received the USTA Sportsmanship Award at the National Team Indoor Championships. He is the son of Stan Smith, former Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champion.

Duke Versus the NCAA Tournament Field...
The Blue Devils have played 20 matches this season against opponents in the 64-team NCAA bracket, and have posted a 15-5 (.750) record against those teams. In fact, all five of Duke's losses this entire year have come against teams who are among the top eight seeds in the tournament -- No. 2 UCLA (twice), No. 3 Pepperdine, No. 4 Florida, and No. 8 Baylor.

NCAA teams that Duke has defeated this year include Charleston Southern, Clemson, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina (twice), Notre Dame, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Virginia (twice), and Virginia Commonwealth.

Duke Claims Ninth ACC Tournament Title...
The Duke men's tennis team won the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference championship on April 23 at The Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga. The Blue Devils defeated N.C. State in the quarterfinals (5-0), Virginia in the semis (6-1) and 20th-ranked North Carolina (4-1) in the finals to capture their third straight and ninth overall conference crown. Duke has won the ACC men's tennis title in eight of the last 10 seasons.

Smith Named ACC Tournament MVP...
Duke junior Ramsey Smith was named the ACC Tournament MVP after winning both of his singles matches and all three doubles during the weekend. Smith, playing No. 2 singles, topped Virginia's 51st-ranked Huntley Montgomery 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the semis and UNC's Assaf Drori 7-6(6), 6-0 in the finals.

Smith's honor marked the third straight season a Duke player has been named Tournament MVP. Ten Blue Devils have captured the honor through the years.

Lapidus in 10th Season at the Helm, Notched 200th Win...
Duke head coach Jay Lapidus, now in his 10th season at the helm of the Blue Devil men's tennis program, is one of the most successful coaches in Duke history. The four-time ACC Coach of the Year and two-time ITA Region Coach of the Year has led the Blue Devils to eight of their nine overall ACC Championships and seven NCAA Championship appearances.

Lapidus, a three-time All-America and former No. 1 ranked collegiate player at Princeton, has compiled an amazing record during his Duke tenure. Since the 1990-91 season, the Blue Devils are 216-59 overall (.785) and 72-6 in the ACC (.923). Lapidus notched his 200th victory on February 25th of this season with a 4-3 win over fifth-ranked Mississippi.

Streaking Through the ACC...
For the fourth straight year, the Duke men's tennis team posted a perfect 8-0 mark against league competition. The Blue Devils have not lost a regular season conference match since April 11, 1996, a 4-3 decision to North Carolina in Durham. Since then, they have won 33 straight matches against league opponents with undefeated seasons in 1997, 98, 99 and now 2000.

Cerenko Still Perfect in the ACC...
Junior Marko Cerenko (Atlanta, Ga.) has a streak of his own still intact -- he has not lost an ACC match during his entire Duke career. Currently 23-0 through three seasons of competition, Cerenko went 8-0 against the league this year, playing in the No. 4-6 slots. He was the ACC flight champion at No. 6 singles both his freshman and sophomore seasons with a 7-0 record in 1997-98 and an 8-0 mark in 1998-99.

Root Nearing Century Mark...
Senior Doug Root needs just two more wins to hit the 100 career victory plateau. Currently with a 98-77 career record, Root has played at No. 1 singles for most of his Duke career. The four-time All-ACC selection has also earned a spot in the NCAA singles championships each of his four years at Duke. So far this season, Root has posted a 21-19 record and 9-14 in dual matches, mainly at No. 1.

Pedroso, Cerenko Hit the Big 3-0...
Two Blue Devils have already reached the 30-win mark for this season -- juniors Marko Cerenko and Andres Pedroso. Pedroso currently has a season record of 30-13, having notched his 30th win over Virginia's John Winter in the ACC semifinals on April 22. Cerenko, who sits at 32-10 so far this season, also captured his 30th victory against Virginia, defeating Michael Duquette in the final regular season match on April 16.

For both players, it marks the first time they have reached the 30-win mark in a season. They are also the first ones to do it since Ramsey Smith notched 35 victories as a freshman in the 1997-98 season. Thirty-five season victories is the most by a single player since such records were kept, dating back to the 1988 season. Smith tied Jason Rayman's 35 season victories, set in 1993.

Root and Smith - A Winning Combination...
Duke's top-ranked doubles team all season has been the tandem of senior Doug Root and junior Ramsey Smith. The duo has been ranked most of the year, and are currently sitting in the No. 5 spot nationally. They have posted a 26-7 record, with a 19-6 record in dual doubles (6-1 ACC). Along the way, they have defeated 10 ranked opponents, with wins over top 15 teams from Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Texas and Clemson.

The combination of Root/Smith has provided Lapidus with much-needed consistency in the doubles lineup, as they are the only two players on the team to have just one doubles partner throughout the year. Root/Smith's 26 season wins so far this year are the most ever for a Duke doubles team since such records were kept, beginning with the 1989 season. They surpassed former Blue Devils Dmitry Muzyka and Jordan Wile, who posted 24 wins together a year ago.

Oh Captain, My Captain...
Duke's three seniors are serving as the team's tri-captains this season: Pedro Escudero (Valladolid, Spain), Porter Jones (Mequon, Wis.) and Doug Root.

Escudero on the Mend...
One Blue Devil expected to play a key role this season was senior Pedro Escudero. However, Escudero, a transfer from Louisiana State, played in one tournament this fall before undergoing elbow surgery, and has spent much of the dual season recovering and rehabilitating. He has won two matches this spring, seeing action against Princeton on March 12 and in the ACC tournament semifinals. Escudero was an All-ACC selection last season who was also named ACC Tournament MVP.

Freshmen Contributions...
With Escudero out of the lineup, Lapidus has called on his younger players to see action and provide depth in the lineup. The three newcomers have responded to the call, performing very well in their rookie seasons. Joel Spicher (Geneva, Switzerland) has posted a 15-9 dual record (4-1 ACC), playing mainly at No. 4. Spicher has defeated one ranked opponent this season, Antonio Gordon of TCU.

Michael Yani (Boca Raton, Fla.) went undefeated in the dual season, posting a 6-0 record (3-0 ACC), mainly at No. 6. Yani also teams up with senior Porter Jones at the No. 3 doubles slot, and the duo has gone 15-4 with a 3-2 ACC mark. Duke's third freshman, Yorke Allen (McLean, Va.) has gone 5-2 in dual matches (2-2 ACC), at No. 5 and 6 singles.

Tough Competition...
As they do every year, the Blue Devils have played a tough schedule, with nearly every opponent appearing in the national rankings. In fact, Duke has faced 14 teams ranked among the nation's top 25, with seven of those in the top 10. Duke's five losses have all been against opponents who were in the top 10 at the time of the match, including UCLA twice (No. 7/No. 2), Pepperdine (No. 5), Baylor (No. 9) and Florida (No. 2).

Individually, Duke players have defeated 32 ranked opponents during the year. Ramsey Smith leads the way with 10 victories over ranked opponents, while Andres Pedroso has logged nine wins. The doubles tandem of Smith and Doug Root has recorded 10 victories over nationally-ranked doubles teams.

20 Wins And Counting...
With a 22-5 record heading into the NCAA Tournament, 1999-2000 marks the eighth straight season Duke has posted at least 20 victories. Prior to that streak Duke had only recorded four previous 20-victory seasons (1982, 85, 86 and 88), with a school-record 31 wins in 1982. The Blue Devils' 25 victories last year were the most in a season during Lapidus' tenure, so Duke could break that record by advancing to the Final Four.

Blue Devil Facts & Figures...
Duke is currently riding a nine-match winning streak, dating back to a 4-2 loss to Florida on April 2 ... Duke has a 106-49 individual record in dual matches this season (.684) ... the Blue Devils went 38-10 against ACC opponents (.792) ... counting fall tournament records, Duke is 170-82 in individual matches for the year (.675) ... five current Blue Devils have reached the 75 career wins plateau -- Doug Root (98), Ramsey Smith (84), Marko Cerenko (81), Porter Jones (80) and Pedro Escudero (75) ... Andres Pedroso could reach that mark this season, as he currently has 71 career victories ... Duke has put 12 different doubles teams out on the court this fall, combining for a 51-25 overall mark (.671) ... against league opponents Duke went 16-5 in doubles (.762) ... the tandem of Pedroso and Ted Rueger (West Chester, Pa.) posted a perfect 5-0 mark in the ACC, playing at No. 2 doubles ... Pedroso has had the most doubles partners, combining with six different teammates for a 13-9 overall record.

Men's Tennis Earns No. 5 Seed in NCAA Tournament; Hosts First/Second Rounds for the First Time

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