For the second time this season, the No. 3 women's tennis team (8-1) lost two of three doubles matches and found itself down 1-0. Yesterday, it was at No. 6 Texas (8-1).
The last time the Blue Devils headed into singles play with this deficit, they eventually fell to Georgia, 5-2. But against the Longhorns, Duke managed to recover, winning four of six singles matches for a 4-3 victory.
"We played absolutely awful doubles," coach Jamie Ashworth said. "We weren't closing, we weren't communicating.... Pretty much anything we could do wrong, we did it."
During the 10-minute break between doubles and singles, the Blue Devils got a much-needed lift from an unlikely source: sophomore Hillary Adams.
"I was really disappointed with how everyone played in doubles," Adams said. "I just got everyone together in a team meeting and helped fire everyone up."
Co-captain Megan Miller praised her teammate's leadership.
"Hillary really showed her spirit and pride and got us ready for singles," Miller said. "It was important that we refocused and got our heads on straight because the first few games for everyone were so critical after we lost the doubles point."
The Blue Devils quickly evened the match at 1-1, as freshman Amanda Johnson, who is ranked 14th nationally and played No. 3 singles, defeated Longhorn junior Rebecca Forney 6-2, 6-4 to remain undefeated in dual-match play.
Johnson's victory was followed by that of fellow freshman Ansley Cargill, who is ranked second nationally. Cargill easily defeated ninth-ranked Texas senior Janet Walker 6-1, 6-1. Cargill improved her dual-match record to 8-1.
"I was really focused the entire match and played very well," Cargill said. "The crowd could have been a big factor, but I went up 3-0 and quieted them for the whole match."
The win was especially sweet for Cargill, who fell to Walker in a close match last summer.
"Last time I played her, we had a ridiculously long match and I lost a couple of match points," she said. "I think I've gotten a lot stronger since then, and I was more willing to hit to her forehand so that I could attack her backhand."
Cargill's victory put Duke ahead for the first time, but the Longhorns evened the score when junior Kaysie Smashy defeated Duke sophomore Katie Granson 6-1, 6-4.
Adams then put the Blue Devils ahead for good, defeating freshman Michelle Krinke 6-2, 6-3. This win was also special for Adams, who grew up competing against Krinke in the juniors.
"I've played Michelle many times and I lost to her in the finals of a national championship," she said. "But I came out and played really well today."
With two matches remaining, Ashworth was happy to have his two senior captains left out on the court.
"The match came down to Megan or Kathy [Sell] getting a win," he said. "I couldn't ask for more than having two seniors with over 200 combined wins out on the court with the match on the line."
Miller, playing No. 2 singles for Duke for only the second time this year, clinched the victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Texas junior Vladka Uhlirova, while Sell fell in a tough 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 contest against junior Joanne Masonsong.
"Overall, this was one of the best singles matches we've played as a team all year," Ashworth said. "I think it was good for us to see that we could come back and win after a tough doubles loss. This experience will definitely help our team in the future if we lose the doubles point again."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.