'Set a great example': Anchored by Kelly Chen and Chloe Beck, Duke women's tennis knocks off Notre Dame
By Brady Kim | March 2, 2022Playing against Notre Dame on the road, the No. 8 Blue Devils won decisively, outscoring the Fighting Irish 5-2.
Playing against Notre Dame on the road, the No. 8 Blue Devils won decisively, outscoring the Fighting Irish 5-2.
Beginning with a 4-3 victory against the Buckeyes Friday, Jan. 21, the Blue Devils improved throughout the competitions and finished the weekend with a second triumph, a 4-2 decision against the Tigers.
Duke kicked off its spring season this weekend at the Michigan Invitational, squaring off against No. 12 Ohio State, No. 16 Michigan and Notre Dame over three days of match play.
It may still be winter, but spring sports are about to get off and running. For The Chronicle's first spring sport preview of 2021, we've got Duke women's tennis, which is poised for another successful season after an NCAA quarterfinal fun last year.
Chloe Beck may have been the only new player to join the team in the fall of 2019, but she has proven since then that even the smallest recruiting classes can be the most outstanding.
While the women’s tennis team’s season ended with its loss to North Carolina in the Elite Eight last week, six Blue Devils were able to compete in the NCAA Individual Championship.
Confidence was at its peak for the Blue Devils as they faced off against the rival Tar Heels. Unfortunately, North Carolina's play was also at its peak.
Beck’s refuse-to-lose mindset got her far in the match against Levashova, with the match truly becoming mental as both players visibly began to wilt as time went on while they continued relentless back-and-forth rallying.
All eyes were on Chen for the third set of her singles match against Baylor, as all the other matches had concluded in straight sets before the senior had a chance to wrap up in Waco, Texas.
As one of the top-15 teams in the nation and members of a strong conference, the Blue Devils headed to Rome, Ga. with the No. 5-seed in the ACC tournament.
The Blue Devils started off the afternoon by snagging the doubles point, but many of the singles matches came very close toward the end, with three courts playing all the way to seven games and Duke managing to win four of the six singles matches.
The Blue Devils entered Friday having lost their last five matches to their Tobacco Road rivals. That streak has now been extended to six.
Duke's only two losses this season have come to Georgia Tech.
Despite a disappointing start to the season, it looks like the Blue Devils are back on track.
Saturday was a sign that spring tennis truly is underway. And right on cue, the Blue Devils are hitting their stride as a team.
While the win marked the second consecutive sweep for the 10th-ranked Blue Devils, much of the focus Wednesday afternoon centered on Court 1.
Duke looks to make its third straight Final Four appearance in three full seasons.
Chi and the rest of the Duke team never let up against the Mountaineers.
The loss snapped Duke's 12-year streak of advancing to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
It's rare that two newcomers can make an impact on a team looking to make a Final Four for the third straight full season.