The women's' tennis team lost its last three representatives in the ITA Southeast Regionals Sunday, with the final singles competitor, Saras Arasu, bowing out in a close quarterfinal match. The top-seeded Duke doubles team of Kelly McCain and Hillary Adams was able to make it to the semifinals, but was upset by the third seed from the University of Kentucky.
The Blue Devil doubles pairing of sophomore McCain and senior Adams fell in the semifinals to Amy Trefethen and Jill Buckley of Kentucky. The 8-2 loss was an upset, as Trefethen and Buckley were ranked 41st, while the Duke duo was ninth in the nation.
"They just played us the right way," said McCain. "They knew our weaknesses."
Trefethen and Buckley went on to win the tournament Monday, beating Kendrick Bunn and Katie Pinchbeck of the University of North Carolina, 8-3.
Arasu, who is ranked 47th in singles competition, also fell Sunday, losing a two-set heartbreaker 7-6, 7-6 to 39th-rated Sarah Witten, also a Wildcat. Arasu lost the tie-breakers by scores of 7-2 and 7-4.
Witten, who had earlier in the tournament ended Adams' singles bid with a 6-2, 6-0 victory Saturday, bowed out of her semifinal match, citing a back injury.
Adams and McCain's loss came after a string of impressive victories in the tournament. In the opening round, the Blue Devil duo downed Danielle Petrisko and Shannon Stough, yet another Kentucky pair.
The Duke tandem had advanced to the semifinals with two victories Saturday. They began the day with a shutout of Charlotte's Ashleigh Murray and Laura McSwain. McCain and Adams followed up with an 8-2 victory over Marlene Meija and Aniela Mojzis of North Carolina.
The tournament began ideally for Duke. All seven Blue Devil singles entrants won their first two matches Friday, and both McCain-Adams and Julia Smith and Katie Granson won their doubles matches.
Saturday did not go as well, with all the singles entrants but Arasu bowing out in the third round, and Smith and Granson losing 8-5 to Medina Bajrambasic and Marie Matrka of Coastal Carolina.
The next competition for the Blue Devils will likely be the opening rounds of the ITA National Indoor Championship in Dallas Nov. 7. If any of the Blue Devils had made it to the singles finals or won the doubles tournament, they would have secured an automatic spot in the Championship. As it is, Duke is left hoping for an at-large bid.
"We'll just take advantage of the practice time so we can beat those teams next time we play them," McCain said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.