The women's tennis team will look to extend its reign of dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference this weekend at the ACC Championships in Norcross, Ga.
With nine consecutive ACC Tournament Championships under their belts and ten straight regular season conference titles, the No. 3 Blue Devils (19-3, 8-0 in the ACC) have demonstrated unequaled strength over the last decade. They have won 88 ACC matches in a row and will try to continue that trend as they enter this year's tourney on a surge of momentum. Duke's last four matches have all been 9-0 shutouts, and the Blue Devils have won their last seven matches overall.
"I think with our results the past two weeks, that puts more fear into other teams," Duke coach Jamie Ashworth said.
The string of victories, combined with Duke's history of power, gives the Blue Devils what Ashworth calls "insurmountable" confidence. Not only has the Duke reputation strengthened the Blue Devils' play, it has also put fear in the hearts of their ACC opponents.
"I think we feel like we have a lot of momentum," sophomore Vanessa Webb said. "We have a lot of confidence, and that helps us. Teams walk on the court feeling like they're going to lose."
Webb, who missed part of the season with a shoulder injury, has finally played enough matches to reenter the Rolex computer rankings. The former No. 1 player in the country reappeared in the rankings this week at No. 9 despite not having lost a match all season.
With Webb's return, the Blue Devils can boast having the only team in Atlanta this week with all six singles players and all three doubles teams in the national rankings. Duke's dominance is particularly exemplified by these rankings, which list four Duke singles players above any other ACC player-freshman Karin Miller at No. 3, Webb, senior Wendy Fix at No. 50, and senior Luanne Spadea at No. 61.
Miller fell to No. 3 this week after spending two weeks as the country's top-ranked player. It was the first time in school history that Duke has had two different players ranked No. 1 at different points in the same season.
Part of the reason for Miller's fall is the fact that Ashworth has been alternating Webb and Miller at the top singles position in the lineup. The switching has resulted in one girl playing weaker competition at No. 2 singles, which hurts her in the ranking system.
"Either one of them is capable of playing No. 1," Ashworth said. "The lineup depends on who we're playing."
In the first round on Friday, Duke will play the winner of the play-in match between N.C. State and Virginia. The semifinals are held on Saturday, and the tournament will conclude with Sunday's championship game.
The Blue Devils expect to see Wake Forest (17-5, 7-1 in the ACC) waiting for them on Sunday. The Demon Deacons were the last ACC team to beat Duke, posting a 5-4 win in 1989. Since that match, however, the Blue Devils have beaten Wake 14 straight times, including a 5-3 win earlier this season.
"Wake is our biggest competition," Webb said. "If we play well, we should win."
A potential matchup between Duke and the Demon Deacons could feature a rematch between Miller and Maggie Harris. Harris, No. 62 nationally, is the highest-ranked ACC player who doesn't wear a Duke uniform. When the two met earlier this season, Miller disposed of her opponent, 6-2, 6-1.
"I was playing pretty well, and she just didn't play that well," Miller said.
The Blue Devils know that if they play their game, it will be difficult for any team to stop them from capturing their 10th ACC title.
"I think that we are just so confident when we play other ACC teams," Ashworth said. "It's going to be a struggle for anyone to beat us."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.