April 14, 2008

• 2008 ACC Men's Tennis Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The 55th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Tennis Championship will be heading to the Sunshine State for the second time in league history, taking place at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Regular-season champion Virginia, North Carolina and Wake Forest each picked up a first-round bye for the second straight year, while Florida State advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005.

After becoming the first team in ACC history to record 11 ACC wins in a season last year, Virginia accomplished the same feat in 2008. The Cavaliers, who garnered the top overall seed, finished the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record in conference action for the second year in a row. Virginia, which has either won the regular-season title outright or shared the prize the last five years, will face either No. 8 seed NC State (11-13, 4-7 ACC) or No. 9 seed Georgia Tech (13-11, 3-8 ACC) in the first quarterfinal match on Friday at 9 a.m.

North Carolina (19-4, 9-1 ACC) and Florida State (18-4, 9-2 ACC) both tied with nine points in the league race this year. The Tar Heels earned the No. 2 seed after winning the tiebreaker over FSU, having posted a 4-3 victory over the Seminoles during the regular season. The Tar Heels, who last took home the ACC championship title in 2002, will meet the winner from Thursday's first-round match between No. 7 Miami and 10th-seeded Maryland on Friday at noon. UNC currently owns a league-best 25 championship crowns, all outright except for two.

The Seminoles, who seek their first ACC title, will face either No. 6 seed Duke or 11th-seeded Boston College. The Blue Devils totaled six points in the league standings this year, finishing in a three-way tie with Virginia Tech and Miami. The Hokies secured the No. 5 seed having defeated both Miami and Duke in head-to-head competition during the regular season. Duke held the tiebreaker over Miami to notch the sixth seed, while the Hurricanes claimed the seventh spot despite winning their last four matches.

Also looking for its first league championship crown, Wake Forest enters the ACC tournament as the fourth seed for the second year in a row. The Demon Deacons (16-9, 7-4 ACC) advanced to the semifinals last year but was shut out by eventual champion Virginia. Wake will hit the court against the winner from the Virginia Tech and Clemson first-round match on Friday at noon.

Coverage of the ACC Men's Tennis Championship will be made available On-Demand every night by 9 p.m. on ACC Select from April 17-20.

2008 ACC MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 17-20, 2008
Sanlando Park
Altamonte Springs, Fla.

Thursday, April 17
No. 9 seed Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 seed NC State - 9:00 a.m.
No. 12 seed Clemson vs. No. 5 seed Virginia Tech - 12:00 p.m.
No. 10 seed Maryland vs. No. 7 seed Miami - 12:00 p.m.
No. 11 seed Boston College vs. No. 6 seed Duke - 3:00 p.m.

Friday, April 18
No. 1 seed Virginia vs. Seed 8/9 - 9:00 a.m.
No. 4 seed Wake Forest vs. Seed 5/12 - 12:00 p.m.
No. 2 seed North Carolina vs. Seed 7/10 - 12:00 p.m.
No. 3 seed Florida State vs. Seed 6/11 - 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 19
Semifinal 1 - 10:00 a.m.
Semifinal 2 - 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 20
Championship Match - 11:00 a.m.