After sweeping Florida 4-0 during the regular season, it was the Gators who put a swift end to Duke’s season.
The Blue Devils (16-10) fell 4-0 to top-seeded Florida (25-2) Friday at Kahn Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Ill. in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16. Duke took just one set in the match.
After forfeiting the sixth singles position to start the match, the Blue Devils quickly dropped the doubles point when Hanna Mar and Mary Clayton fell to the nation’s 11th-ranked doubles team of Lauren Embree and Sofie Oyen and gave the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Senior Nicole Lipp was the next Duke player to falter, losing 6-1, 6-2 to No. 123 Olivia Janowicz at the fifth singles position.
No. 89 Brianna Morgan clinched the match for Florida with a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Marianne Jodoin at the fourth singles position.
Duke concluded its season with NCAA Tournament victories against Mississippi and Texas Tech, despite playing with a lineup consisting of just five players. The Blue Devils will lose just two seniors—Nicole Lipp and Mary Clayton—heading into next season, and will return multiple players that they lost for the season due to injury.
Duke was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation during the regular season.
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