Spring Break was no holiday for the women's tennis team. While most students frolicked on the sand or snow, the sixth-ranked Blue Devils took on the toughest part of their season's schedule.
Duke spent that entire stretch on the road. The trip started on March 3 with three matches in as many days at the National Team Indoors. A clash at Kentucky came next on Tuesday, followed by Georgia on Friday. Duke's calendar also originally included Tennessee, but the Wednesday match was rained out.
The Blue Devils returned from the trip 2-3. The losses were their first of the season, and dropped them to 5-3, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"It was a long trip, but it was fun," junior Monica Mraz said. "We faced some pretty tough competition.
"We were not quite as successful, but we know what we have to work on."
Duke opened at the Indoors with a 5-2 win over No. 7 Pepperdine. Next came two straight losses to No. 9 Kansas and No. 13 Indiana. The Jayhawks took the match 5-1, and the Hoosiers triumphed 5-2.
Duke head coach Geoff Macdonald admitted that one of his team's weaknesses was converting on crucial points. He expressed concern at how the Blue Devils would be up a set, but unable to put away the temporary advantage.
He did, however, praise the performances of the three freshmen in the starting lineup: Wendy Fix, Karen O'Sullivan and Kim Schiff.
"Against Pepperdine, we were 1-2 when the freshmen started their matches," he said. "It was their first ever day at the National Indoors and with those three wins, they won the match for us."
Senior leader Christine Neuman is still nursing wrist splints, which presently restrict her to just doubles play. Hence, the freshmen have been thrust into the fray much earlier that they expected.
Juniors Mraz and Wendy Lyons have also had to elevate their games to meet the superior competition. So far, they have coped admirably.
"It's really hard because the competition is tougher," Mraz said. "Last year I was winning a lot more, it's a big challenge."
"[Our schedule] is a good one to get tough under," Macdonald said. "But for the new players it's a trial by fire."
After the Indoors, Duke took on No. 19 Kentucky. After a gruelling battle, the Blue Devils edged the Wildcats 5-4. According to Macdonald, senior reserve Hillary McKinney and the freshman doubles team of Fix and Schiff played huge roles in that result.
McKinney, playing in place of Neuman, came back from a set down to beat Marina Sansostri 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Fix and Schiff then clinched the tie with the final match of the day.
"Hillary did a really good job," he said. "And the two freshmen, with the match at 4-4, on the road, and against a top-20 team, that was awesome.
Next came Georgia. The Bulldogs were on a roll after a spectacular win five days earlier over Florida to take the National Indoors title. With that win, the Bulldogs are likely candidates to take the No. 1 ranking when the next polls are released.
The Bulldogs made short work of the Blue Devils, cruising 6-1 over Duke and retaining their undefeated record.
"We could've played a better match, but I think fatigue had set in," Macdonald said. "We didn't go out with the enthusiasm and intensity to make it a match on the road."
Generally, that is a problem for Duke at the moment.
"We need to be more aggressive, take charge and go after teams more throughout the match, both individually and as a team," Mraz said.
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