For the second time in as many years, the Duke women’s tennis program benefited from UCLA’s inability to retain its hard-court stars.
Head coach Jamie Ashworth announced June 8 that former Bruin Daniela Bercek, who finished the 2004-2005 season with a 14-5 record and ranked 10th in the nation in singles while playing at the first position for UCLA, will join the Blue Devil squad in the fall.
“What we struggled with last year is where she really excels, so she’ll make a huge impact in both singles and doubles,” Ashworth said of Bercek.
Entering her junior season in Durham, Bercek will reunite with former Bruin teammate Jackie Carleton who transferred from UCLA following her sophomore campaign in 2004. The duo led the Bruins to an appearance in the NCAA Championship match before Carleton’s departure.
The addition of the two-time All-American will help to secure the top of the Blue Devil lineup after No. 1 singles player Katie Blaszak graduated in the spring.
Bercek will also be an asset in doubles play, an area in which Duke stumbled late last spring. During her time at UCLA, Bercek posted a 57-17 doubles record and won the NCAA Doubles Championships her freshman year with partner Lauren Fisher.
Bercek ended last season ranked fourth in doubles with partner Riza Zalameda but was upset in the second round of the NCAA Championships.
Bercek is the sixth starter to leave the UCLA program in the last four years. She joins three incoming freshmen for the 2005-06 season who will look to aid the team in rebounding from last year’s disappointing season.
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