After taking the title for the first time in more than 10 years, head coach Jamie Ashworth and the Blue Devils will look to do something they have never done in program history—repeat.
Duke is out to defend its 2015 ITA National Women’s Indoor Championship—hosted by Virginia—this weekend, but it knows the path will not be an easy one. The undefeated No. 4 Blue Devils are set to face TCU in the first round at noon Friday in their quest to repeat.
“As a team we have good recall. We’ve had some good wins in that building before, but we have some new players in there,” Ashworth said. “They’re excited to play and see the 16 best teams in the country. It gives us a good gauge on what we need to work on and where we stand at this point in the season before we head outdoors. It’s a barometer to the little things we have to do.”
Duke is 4-0 in dual matches this season and enters the tournament on a hot streak. After narrowly edging out William & Mary in the season opener, Ashworth’s squad swept Louisville and Memphis in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. In its most recent match, Duke pulled out an emotional victory against No. 22 Northwestern for the team’s most impressive win of the short season so far.
“Our preparation last week was a lot crisper because [the team] knew they had to,” Ashworth said. “I wish we could show up and treat every match like [we did against Northwestern]. When you play a good team, we don’t have to motivate the girls. As we prepare for the [ITA Indoors], the motivational level is very high and we need that. The focus is a lot sharper in tournament matches.”
The reigning champions look to repeat this year and add Ashworth’s third ITA Indoors title in 13 years. His first win came back in 2003 and his team has finished as runner ups on three occasions—1998, 1999 and 2012.
During last year’s run, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils knocked off rivals No. 2 North Carolina in a second-round upset before taking down No. 6 California and No. 4 UCLA. In the championship match, Duke was down 3-0 and at risk of getting swept, but the Blue Devil a comeback was en route, capped with senior Hanna Mar clinching the victory in a come-from-behind win at third singles.
“Historically we’ve had good success indoors,” Ashworth said. “We need to build on what we did this weekend because the Northwestern match was just the beginning of a tough stretch. I hope we compete well and play with a high emotional level.”
Duke returns a strong core from last year’s team with junior Beatrice Capra, seniors Ester Goldfeld and Annie Mulholland, sophomores Alyssa Smith and Chalena Scholl, and redshirt senior Rachel Kahan. The team lost Hanna Mar—a star for the program for four years –but have found the heir apparent in freshman Samantha Harris.
The team’s trip to a repeat will likely involve another matchup against Golden State powers No. 5 California and No. 1 UCLA with a championship date against No. 2 Florida, No. 3 North Carolina or No. 7 Virginia from the other half of the bracket.
“Our goal is to be physically, mentally and emotionally drained by the end of the tournament," Ashworth said. "If we’ve done that, then we’ve put forward everything we have.”
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