This season ended in almost the same manner as last season did for the women's tennis team. Duke won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and then advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils even lost to the same team--Georgia--for the second year in a row.
Sunday's loss to the Bulldogs was a bit different than last year's NCAA matchup, however. The Blue Devils were shut out in the quarterfinals of the 1994 tournament. Duke made Georgia work for its win this time, as the Bulldogs escaped 5-4 at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif. The Blue Devils advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Arizona 5-1 last Friday.
"Georgia played really well and we gave it everything we had, on every court," head coach Jody Hyden said. "They were stronger than us when it came down to doubles--they played better. We fought hard and did the best we could."
The match was tied after the six singles matches. Senior Wendy Lyons picked up a three-set battle--which included two tiebreakers--from Bulldog Anne Chauzu at the No. 2 spot. Sophomore Karen O'Sullivan also outlasted her opponent in a three-setter at the No. 4 position. Freshman Laura Zifer netted another point for the Blue Devils at No. 3, winning 6-3, 6-4 over Michelle Anderson.
Duke had a few chances to capture the match in singles, as the matches at Nos. 5 and 6 were each nail-biting three-setters.
"We felt like we had a good chance in singles against them," Hyden said. "We thought if we could get to 3-all or 4-2 we could beat them. We got to 3-all and lost two close three-setters [in singles]. I always felt--and the girls did too--that we could win the match."
But Duke has struggled in doubles all year, mainly due to the fact that the team only had six healthy players for most of the season.
"[Our doubles teams] have been a little bit below what we wanted them to be," Hyden said. "We've been limited in trying different combinations. We kind of had to stick with what we had."
When Duke faced Georgia on Feb. 12 of this year, it dropped all three doubles matches to the Bulldogs, losing by a mere point. Sunday, however, the sixth-ranked team of Lyons and fellow senior Monica Mraz upset the top-ranked duo of Stacy Sheppard and Tina Samara, 6-1, 6-4.
"We played really well at No. 1 [doubles] this time," Hyden said. "The last time we didn't play well and they played great."
Duke only needed one more win to advance to the semifinals, but neither of the remaining doubles teams could pull through for a victory. Georgia's Jane Reid and Lisa Salvatierra evened the score to 4-4 by defeating O'Sullivan and freshman Ellen McCance, 6-2, 6-3. The ninth-ranked pair of Anderson and Chauzu clinched the match for Georgia, beating Zifer and sophomore Wendy Fix, 6-4, 6-2.
"I can't ask for anything more from our kids," Hyden said. "I'm proud of them. It's better to lose it close like that than to get blown away. "
Friday's match against Arizona was an easy one for the Blue Devils, though. Duke demolished the Wildcats, 5-1. None of the doubles matches were played, since the Blue Devils clinched the match with Mraz's singles win over Arizona's Vicky Maes. Mraz rallied to capture the three-setter, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
"I think a lot of people expected Arizona to beat us," Hyden said. "Yet I never thought that was the case. I felt like we matched up well with them."
Only two matches lasted three sets, as Duke posted easy victories at the third, fifth and sixth positions. O'Sullivan also grabbed another point for the Blue Devils as she won a third-set tiebreaker to down Wildcat Melody Falco, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6.
"I told our girls that everybody was responsible for getting her point," Hyden said. "I knew the key to us in this tournament were getting the people at Nos. 4 through 6 to really come through. They really answered the call. We played one of our better matches this year."
The two seniors on the team--Mraz and Lyons--then went on to compete in the individual competition of the NCAAs. On Wednesday, seventh-ranked Mraz defeated No. 58 Rachel Epstein of Indiana 6-2, 6-0, while Lyons lost to Georgia's Sheppard 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. The duo will also face Wake Forest's Dana Evans and Maggie Harris in doubles play today.
Mraz boasts two collegiate grand slam titles among her tennis honors, one of which was won with Lyons in doubles this past fall at the Riviera All-American. Their hopes of a national championship were crushed by Georgia--but just barely.
"The two seniors had a goal to win a national championship," Hyden said. "When that chance as a team is over, that's difficult. It's difficult for them as seniors--it's their last team match, to lose it close like that. Any time you finish the season it's emotional and it's difficult."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.