Duke is coming in hot. But so are its opponents, which should make things exciting this weekend in the Blue Devils’ second weekend of ACC action.
No. 6 Duke hosts No. 24 Syracuse Friday at 3 p.m. at Ambler Tennis Stadium before visiting Virginia Tech Sunday at 1 p.m. at Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Va. The Blue Devils are winners of five straight, the Orange are ranked for the first time in school history and the Hokies come in having won seven consecutive matches.
“The best teams in the country win with low depth, and we’re showing right now that we definitely have some talent,” Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “Whether you’re playing number five or number six or numbers one and two, it counts the exact same.”
Duke (9-1, 2-0 in the ACC) has recently gotten production from its players farther down the singles lineup, rather than relying on star power. In her last six matches, No. 26 senior Beatrice Capra has three losses, one win and two matches abandoned. No. 28 Kaitlyn McCarthy has also lost two straight, and No. 59 Elyse Hamlin has three unfinished matches, two losses and one win in her last six contests.
Playing at third singles, junior Chalena Scholl has stepped up, winning seven of her first eight dual matches this season. After winning two singles and doubles matches last weekend, she was tabbed ACC Co-Player of the Week.
“She’s playing with more confidence,” Ashworth said. “She’s enjoying herself on the court… and kind of playing free mentally, not with a lot of pressure on herself.”
Sophomore Samantha Harris has also won 10 of her last 11 sets, and redshirt freshman Christina Makarova has come up clutch since missing the fall due to injury. Makarova—who has occupied court six for the Blue Devils so far this spring— defeated Clara Tanielian of then-No. 13 Miami last weekend to clinch a 4-3 Duke victory for the second time in three matches.
The Blue Devils—6-0 at home this year and 2-1 against ranked opponents—will first face a Syracuse team that is also deep and talented. The Orange (8-1, 2-1) jumped into the top 25 this past week thanks to a victory last weekend against an 8-4 Notre Dame team.
Graduate student No. 42 Anna Shkudun is Syracuse’s only ranked singles player, but freshmen Gabriela Knuston and Dina Hegab are a combined 15-1 in duals this season. Four of the Orange’s six regular singles players are freshmen.
“Not one of the girls from Syracuse we’ve ever played, which is really unusual from one year to the next,” Ashworth said. “We have to really concentrate on playing our own game and not worry so much about what our opponents do.”
Less than 48 hours later, the Blue Devils will travel the mountainous road to Blacksburg for their third ACC competition of the season. Virginia Tech will be on even shorter rest, though, with a contest with Wake Forest Saturday at 11 a.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“I think in situations like that, home teams actually have a disadvantage,” Ashworth said. “We will definitely try to make it a physical match in that sense, make the points a little bit longer.”
The Hokies have won 44 of their last 47 points during their streak of seven victories, stretching back to January. Junior No. 49 Francesca Fusinato will lead the charge after posting a straight-set victory against then-No. 1 Joana Eidukonyte of Clemson in January. Fusinato and four other Virginia Tech players are undefeated this year, and the doubles team has an 18-4 record.
The matches for Duke will, weather pending, be its second and third outdoors this year. The Blue Devils practice indoors and outdoors, and they will be ready to play on either to potentially extend their winning streak to seven matches.
“When you factor in everything—mental, physical, emotional—it suits our team a lot better to be outside… because we are becoming a really tough mental team,” Ashworth said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.