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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team, ranked 49th in the country, will head down Tobacco Road for two conference matches this weekend. On Friday, March 21, the Hokies will take on the 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils at 3 p.m. at the Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, N.C. Tech will then head to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Sunday, March 23 for a showdown against sixth-ranked North Carolina at 2 p.m. at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.

The Hokies (8-5, 1-1 ACC) will play their third and fourth consecutive road matches when they take on the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels. Tech is returning from a west coast trip, where they went 1-1, defeating 72nd-ranked Washington 5-2 and falling to 19th-ranked Boise State 4-3.

The Blue Devils (9-4, 1-0 ACC) nearly upset second-ranked Oklahoma the last time they were on the court, falling to the Sooners 4-3. Oklahoma and Tech met earlier in the season at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Sooners won the match 4-1.

North Carolina (15-2, 2-0 ACC) enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak, including two consecutive wins over ranked conference opponents. Before squaring off against Tech on Sunday, the Tar Heels will take on Virginia on Friday.

Virginia Tech is led by standout sophomore Amerigo Contini, who is ranked 24th in the country in singles. Contini has compiled a 17-5 record on the year, including five wins over ranked opponents. Sophomore Andreas Bjerrehus and freshman Florian Nicoud have also been impressive for the Hokies the season. Bjerrehus boasts a 16-7 record, while Nicoud has posted a 14-6 mark on the season.

Duke enters the match with an impressive lineup that features four nationally-ranked players. In singles, sophomore Michael Redlicki is ranked 30th. Redlicki garned All-ACC honors a year ago. Also for the Devils, Jason Tahir is ranked 40th, Fred Saba is 58th, and Bruno Semenzato is ranked 92nd. Redlicki and Tahir are also ranked 28th in doubles.

The Tar Heels also boast a lineup with four ranked players, three of which are freshmen. Freshman Brayden Schnur, ranked 18th in singles, and Ronnie Schneider, ranked 32nd, are the highest ranked Tar Heels. Sophomore Brett Clark is ranked 51st. In doubles, the duo of Schneider and fellow freshman Jack Murray is ranked 67th.

Friday’s match will mark the 25th time that the Hokies and Blue Devis have met. Duke controls the series 21-3. Sunday’s match between Tech and UNC will be the 24th meeting between the ACC teams. The Tar Heels lead the series 21-2.

Virginia Tech will return to Blacksburg for a conference match against the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, Mar. 28 at 2 p.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MTennis