SPORTS | TENNIS
Duke women's tennis set to take on N.C. State in Sweet 16 matchup
By Spencer Levy | May 8, 2019Duke is just one win away from advancing to its second consecutive Elite Eight.
Duke is just one win away from advancing to its second consecutive Elite Eight.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Duke swept James Madison Saturday afternoon before the Blue Devils defeated Arizona State 4-0 less than 24 hours later.
Duke, by virtue of its 13 ACC regular-season victories, earned a double bye, meaning the Blue Devils didn't have to start their postseason run until Friday.
Duke falls yet again to Florida State in the ACC tournament, effectively ending the Blue Devils' season.
A win on Friday would likely bring a matchup against third-seeded Florida State Saturday afternoon.
With their loss the Blue Devils will need three records in the ACC tournament for a chance at the NCAA tournament.
Although the Blue Devils had moments of sloppiness, Duke took down Virginia with ease.
In the deciding 10-point super tiebreaker, Bilokin won 10-7 to finish out the team’s fourth conference victory on the season.
Duke mixed up the tandems once again and this time, the senior duo of No. 24 Kaitlyn McCarthy and Ellyse Hamlin were split apart.
After their second loss of the season to the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils will likely not matchup against until the ACC tournament championship.
On Court 1, freshman phenom Maria Mateas will likely give North Carolina a run for its money.
In singles, the Blue Devils steamrolled through their first four victories.
The Blue Devils lost the doubles point early on and the Tar Heels rolled from there.
In both matches, the home team took the doubles point, but the Blue Devils took control of the singles play later.
Duke picked up a pair of ranked victories this weekend before falling to third-ranked North Carolina 4-0 Monday night.
Ashworth has led the Blue Devils’ women’s tennis program since 1997, amassing a 500-25 record, nine Final fours and one national championship.
Despite strong play from Nick Stachowiak, the Blue Devils dropped both of their matches on the road this weekend.
Last year, Duke lost to the ranked Fighting Illini 1-6 before sweeping the Wildcats 4-0 two days later.
The Blue Devils booked their trip cross country to Seattle to compete in the next round of the ITA team indoor championships
Although Duke started the ITA Kickoff Weekend strong, the Blue Devils couldn't translate their momentum to a ranked win.