April 16, 2007

CARY, N.C.--All 12 teams will be heading to the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Tennis Championship this week, April 19-22, at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C., with Virginia, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest each notching a first-round bye.

Earning the No. 2 seed, North Carolina looks to collect another league championship crown. The Tar Heels currently own a league-best 25 championship crowns, all outright titles except for two shared crowns. The last time UNC took home the ACC championship came in 2002.

The Tar Heels will play their opening match of the tournament on Friday in the quarterfinal round at 12 noon against the winner of Thursday match between NC State and Virginia Tech.

Virginia picked up the top overall seed after finishing the 2007 regular season with a perfect 11-0 record in conference action. The Cavaliers became the first team in ACC history to finish with 11 ACC wins in a season.

The pressure to defend this year's ACC championship title will fall on No. 3 seed Duke. The Blue Devils (15-8, 8-3 ACC) have captured a total of 12 championships, including 10 in the last 14 years.

Seeking its first ACC crown will be the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. The Deacs earned the No. 4 seed after finishing fourth in points in the conference regular-season standings with a 20-5 overall mark and 7-4 in league play.

First-round action on Thursday, April 19, will begin with a pair of early morning matches. Georgia Tech, the ninth seed, will look to avenge a loss from the regular season against No. 8 seed Miami (10-12, 5-6 ACC), while No. 12 seed Boston College (4-17, 0-11 ACC) takes the court against No. 5 seed Clemson (25-8, 6-5 ACC).

Afternoon matches will feature No. 10 seed Virginia Tech (12-11, 3-8 ACC) battling seventh-seed NC State (20-8, 5-6) at 12 noon, and No. 11 Maryland (10-10, 2-9 ACC) facing No. 6 seed Florida State (14-8, 6-5 ACC) in the last match of the day at 3 p.m.

Exclusive coverage of both the ACC Men's and Women's Tennis Championships will be broadcast live on the internet every day at www.ACCSelect.com from April 19-22, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

2007 ACC MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 19-22, 2007
Cary Tennis Park
Cary, N.C.

Thursday, April 19
No. 9 seed Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 seed Miami - 9:00 a.m.
No. 12 seed Boston College vs. No. 5 seed Clemson - 9:00 p.m.
No. 10 seed Virginia Tech vs. No. 7 seed NC State - 12:00 p.m.
No. 11 seed Maryland vs. No. 6 seed Florida State - 3:00 p.m.
Friday, April 20
No. 1 seed Virginia vs. Seed 8/9 - 9:00 a.m.
No. 4 seed Wake Forest vs. Seed 5/12 - 9:00 p.m.
No. 2 seed North Carolina vs. Seed 7/10 - 12:00 p.m.
No. 3 seed Duke vs. Seed 6/11 - 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 21
Semifinal 1 - 10:00 a.m.
Semifinal 2 - 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 22
Championship Match - 11:00 a.m.