March 27, 2011
Results
DURHAM, N.C. -
Maryland's Jesse Kiuru remained hot, but the ninth-ranked Duke men's tennis team got strong play from the top half of its singles order to post a 6-1 home victory over the No. 43 Terps Sunday.
The Blue Devils (13-6, 4-0), who possess two of the top 11 singles players in the nation, remained atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with their fourth straight victory.
Kiuru, who won at singles and doubles in Friday at 15th-ranked North Carolina, continued his strong play with a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4) victory over Duke's Jared Pinsky.
Andy Magee nearly pulled off an upset for the Terps (9-7, 1-4) at No. 6 singles. Magee pushed Luke Marchese to a third-set tiebreaker before falling 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (11-9).
"I'm really proud of the guys fighting back in three matches after losing the first set so quickly," Maryland head coach Kyle Spencer said. "We had chances in singles and doubles that we didn't take which ultimately cost us."
Spencer knew the Terps had a tough challenge facing a Duke lineup with three ranked singles players and the fourth-rated doubles unit in the country.
"We lost to a championship caliber team today but I'm excited for the rest of season," Spencer said. "The guys are fighting hard and improving greatly."
Chris Mengel, the 94th-ranked player in the nation, clinched the match for Duke with a 6-2, 6-2 over Tommy Laine at No. 3 singles.
The Terps get to play four of their final six ACC matches at home. Maryland faces Clemson at 2:30 pm. Friday in College Park.
