April 10, 2002

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke freshman Peter Shults rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the third set to defeat Carolina sophomore Andy Metzler and clinch Duke's dramatic 4-3 victory over North Carolina. The loss snapped the Tar Heels' six match winning streak and gave Duke (14-9, 7-0) sole possession of first place in the ACC.

Duke won the doubles point, but Carolina stormed back to win three singles matches, two over nationally ranked players. Sophomore Nicholas Monroe evened the match at 3-3 winning 12 of the final 13 games against Duke's Joel Spicher. That left the final set of the #6 singles battle between Shults and Metzler as the focus of the crowd of approximately 350. Metzler was broken to start the set and Shults then held for a 2-0 lead. However, Metzler held serve and then broke back to even the set 2-2. Neither player could hold serve over the next two games, but then Metzler broke Shults in game seven to earn the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-3.

Singles winners for Carolina were junior Trystan Meniane at #2, freshman Daniel Pinchbeck at #3 and sophomore Nicholas Monroe at #4. Monroe and Pinchbeck won for the Tar Heels at #2 doubles.

UNC (14-5, 5-1) will return to action with its final two matches of the regular season this weekend on the road. Carolina plays at Maryland at 11 a.m. Saturday and at Virginia at 1 p.m. Sunday. Wins in both of those matches will clinch second place in the ACC for the Tar Heels. UNC has finished first, second on third in the ACC in 13 of the past 14 seasons, the only exception 1999 when the Tar Heels finished fifth.

Duke earned three points in the Carlyle Cup competition with the win. UNC still leads this year's Cup race 24 points to 12.5 points. The next event is Sunday when Carolina's women's tennis team plays at Duke. That event is worth 1.5 points in the Cup standings.

#11 Duke 4, #25 North Carolina 3
SINGLES
1. #11 Phillip King (Duke) def. #53 Marcio Petrone (UNC), 7-6, 6-1
2. Trystan Meniane (UNC) def. #58 Michael Yani (Duke), 7-6, 6-2
3. Daniel Pinchbeck (UNC) def. #103 Jason Zimmerman (Duke), 6-3, 6-2
4. Nicholas Monroe (UNC) def. Joel Spicher (Duke), 6-7, 6-1, 6-0
5. Yorke Allen (Duke) def. Geoff Boyd (UNC), 6-2, 6-3
6. Peter Shults (Duke) def. Andrew Metzler (UNC), 6-7, 6-4, 7-5
DOUBLES
(Worth one point to team which wins majority of matches)
1. #23 King & Yani (Duke) def. #51 Petrone & Archer, 8-2
2. Monroe & Pinchbeck (UNC) def. Spicher & Shults (Duke), 8-6
3. Zimmerman & Bose (Duke) def. Boyd & Meniane, 8-6