April 12, 2004

GREENSBORO, N.C. - For only the fourth time since the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Tennis Championship went to a team tournament format in 1986, the North Carolina Tar Heels have claimed the tournament's No. 1 seed. Coach Sam Paul's team will play their quarterfinal match on Friday, April 16 at 9 a.m. at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.

Carolina finished the ACC regular season will a 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference record and the Tar Heels ended in a tie for first place with Virginia. UNC earned the top seed by virtue of beating the Cavaliers head-to-head 5-2 in a match at Charlottesville, Va. on April 10.

The tournament will open with a match between No. 8 seed NC State and No. 9 seed Maryland Thursday at 3 p.m. The winner of that match will go on to play the Tar Heels at 9 a.m. Friday morning in the quarterfinals.

Other quarterfinal matches on Friday will feature No. 4 Georgia Tech versus No. 5 Clemson at 12 noon, No. 2 Virginia versus No. 7 Florida State at 3 p.m. and No. 3 Duke versus No. 6 Wake Forest at 6 p.m.

The semifinal matches will be played on Saturday at 10 a.m. (upper bracket) and at 1 p.m. (lower bracket).

The championship match will be played Sunday at 11 a.m.

Carolina will be the fourth time the Tar Heels have been the No. 1 seed in the tournament since the tourney went to a team format in 1986. Carolina was also the No. 1 seed in 1991, 1992 and 1996.