The women's tennis team pulled off a historic upset on Saturday, defeating fourth-ranked Florida 5-3 at the West Campus Tennis Courts.
The victory marked the first time that Duke has ever beaten the Gators, who are a perennial national championship contender. The Blue Devils, ranked No. 11 in the nation, also won 7-2 on Friday over No. 19 South Carolina.
After Saturday's match, several Duke players shed tears of joy. Beating Florida was the biggest accomplishment of the season for this year's young team.
"It was an absolutely great match," head coach Geoff Macdonald said. "To beat a team like Florida for the first time in the school's history is a great accomplishment. It was truly a moving, great achievement.
"A lot of beating a team is getting over the psychological hurdle of a team's reputation. In the past, when we got close [Florida] was able to call up the championship button and win. Everyone on our team contributed to our win."
The teams split the six singles matches. Junior Wendy Lyons won at the No. 1 singles position, knocking off Anouschka Popp, who is ranked ninth in the nation, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 in a match which lasted more than three hours. Both Lyons, who is ranked No. 34 nationally, and Popp were at the top of their games and exhibited mental toughness in the match.
"It was an unbelievable match," Macdonald said. "The level of play of was up there. It was unbelievably good tennis."
Lyons, who also won at No. 2 singles against South Carolina, has improved her game markedly this year. Her improved tactical play has been a key to many of her recent victories.
"She's a tremendously talented player, but not satisfied and she's not complacent," Macdonald said.
Junior Monica Mraz, who is currently ranked 35th in the nation, defeated No. 53 Divya Merchant at the No. 2 singles position, 7-5, 6-4. Mraz displayed her on-court confidence in defeating the hard-hitting Merchant.
At the No. 4 singles position, freshman Karen O'Sullivan knocked off former Duke player Lisa Pugliese, 6-4, 7-5. Pugliese transferred to Florida after her freshman campaign last season.
Because Macdonald was familiar with Pugliese's style, he was able to instruct O'Sullivan how to maximize her chance of beating the nation's 70th-ranked player. O'Sullivan's talent at playing several styles of tennis aided in her victory.
"Karen O'Sullivan played perfectly," Macdonald said. "She played a very intelligent match."
Although senior Christine Neuman and freshmen Wendy Fix and Kim Schiff lost their singles matches, all three gave their opponents tough matches and each Duke player showed signs of improvement from earlier in the season.
In doubles, Neuman and O'Sullivan then teamed up to win a 6-2, 6-3 match over Kristin Osmond and Erika Kuttler, giving the Blue Devils a 4-3 lead.
Then, with Lyons and Mraz trailing in another doubles match, the freshman tandem of Fix and Schiff overcame a late surge by the Florida squad of Lori Ann Freedman and Jennifer Fiers to come away with a 6-3, 6-4 win and give Duke a 5-3 victory over the Gators.
"Wendy Fix and Kim Schiff won the match for us," Macdonald said. "That experience for them is just phenomenal."
Saturday's victory gave the Blue Devils confidence since it showed them how much they had improved from earlier in the season, when they struggled against elite teams such as Georgia. Beating Florida also improves Duke's chances in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships at the end of the season.
"This changes us in a good way," Macdonald said. "We needed to reach some goals. I'm pleased that we kept the losses in perspective earlier in the year."
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