For a lengthy five-hour marathon, Wednesday's Duke-N.C. State women's tennis match was awfully one-sided.
The sixth-ranked Blue Devils rebounded from a loss to South Carolina on Tuesday by crushing the Wolfpack 9-0 at the Duke Tennis Stadium. State, however, didn't make it easy on the Blue Devils, who had to survive four three-set matches to maintain the shutout.
"They're one of the most improved teams in the conference," Duke head coach Jody Hyden said of the 37th-ranked Wolfpack. "They get a lot of balls back. We needed someone to make us play, so this was great match for us."
The match was the last one at home for Duke seniors Wendy Lyons and Monica Mraz. Once again, the pair simply did what they've done throughout their Duke careers--win.
"It was very meaningful for them," Hyden said. "They've given a lot of hard work and as much heart as anybody who's every played here."
After the match, the Blue Devils presented the seniors with roses in recognition of their final match on the home courts.
"It didn't really seem like our last home match," Lyons said. "It hasn't really set in yet, because we still have so many matches left to play."
At No. 1 singles, Mraz faced talented Aussie Kylie Hunt, who had yet to lose in a dual match during the spring. In the first set, Hunt jumped all over Mraz, winning 6-0. But the Duke lefty came back and dominated the next two sets, winning both 6-1 to take the match.
"In the first set, Monica was missing balls," Hyden said. "She may have started off a little bit tight. Once she went up 2-1 in the second set, she started playing with more and more confidence."
Lyons had no such trouble at No. 2. She gave Margie Zimmer the old double-bagel, winning 6-0, 6-0 in about 45 minutes.
Lyons said Zimmer actually picked up her play in the second set, but it still didn't show in the final tally.
"Those are few and far between," Lyons said of the shutout. "I was expecting a much harder match. I've played her before, and she played terribly today.
"I was kind of disappointed, because I like a challenge."
Hyden was not disappointed in Lyons' performance.
"When Wendy plays very offensively and steps up and hits the ball, she has much more of a presence about her--she's much more intimidating," Hyden said. "She likes to be more aggressive, and that's what she did today."
In the doubles, Mraz and Lyons capped their perfect day by whipping Hunt and Zimmer 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. After losing the final match--a long three-setter--in the 5-4 loss to South Carolina, the Duke duo had extra incentive to play well.
"The match against South Carolina was still a shock, but I thought it helped us in doubles," Lyons said. "When Monica and I went out to play [today], we wanted to go back to basics. It was a good feeling to go out there and play really well."
Also winning for Duke in singles were freshman Laura Zifer at No. 3, sophomore Karen O'Sullivan at No. 4 (in three sets), sophomore Wendy Fix at No. 5 and freshman Ellen McCance at No. 6.
In doubles, the No. 2 and No. 3 matches each went to three sets. At No. 2, Fix and Zifer won a strange one, capturing the first set 6-0, losing the second 6-4 and winning the third 6-0.
"[Fix and Zifer] started off playing so well--they didn't miss a ball," Hyden said. "Then we started missing some. We just needed to slow down and play the percentages. In the third set, we played `boring' tennis and made them miss."
At No. 3, McCance and O'Sullivan kept playing as the sun dropped lower and the clock passed 7 p.m. With the other matches finished, their match went to a third set. After falling behind 3-2 in the third, the Blue Devil pair pulled out a two-and-a-half hour, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
Next up for the Blue Devils is Sunday's matchup with perennial ACC doormat Maryland. After that, the Blue Devils will head to Greenwood, S.C., on April 20-23 to embark on their quest for an eighth straight ACC title.
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