Five members of the women's tennis team traveled to Lexington, Ky., this past weekend for the Rolex Qualifiers. Like all of the other participants, all five Blue Devils were aiming at qualifying for the Rolex Invitational, the third leg of the collegiate grand slam. Only freshman Vanessa Webb accomplished that goal, winning all of her matches.
"The fast courts at the tournament suited Vanessa Webb better than anybody else on our team," Duke head coach Jody Hyden said. "It fit her game because she's a serve-and-volley type player. She had a really good tournament."
In order to go undefeated, Webb had to battle some of the top collegiate players--including No. 3 seed Sophie Worons in the semifinals. Worons, a junior from Clemson, had already inflicted damage to the Blue Devils by knocking off sophomore Laura Zifer in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-4. Hyden acknowledged that there is no better motivation than playing an opponent who has defeated a teammate.
Even with Zifer's loss in the quarterfinals, Hyden said she had an excellent tournament. He credited Zifer's hard work after her default at the National Clay Courts earlier in the year as a reason for her success. Zifer's loss to Worons was her second match of the day. Earlier that day, she had defeated Clemson's top player, senior Jan Barrett.
"I just think Zifer ran out of gas," Hyden said. "She didn't have the energy she needed--mentally or emotionally. I think that with more rest, Laura would have beaten Worons."
The other Blue Devil to reach the quarterfinals was freshman Kristin Sanderson. Playing in only her second collegiate tournament, Sanderson lost to the tourney's top seed, Wake Forest's Terry Ann Zawacki, 6-4, 7-5.
"Sanderson had opportunities to win," Hyden said. "I was pleased with her performance."
The other Blue Devils who made the trip to Kentucky were junior Wendy Fix and sophomore Ellen McCance. McCance lost in the first round in three sets, while Fix made it to the second round before falling to Demon Deacon Maggie Harris.
In doubles, the freshman duo of Sanderson and Webb advanced to the semifinals before losing to two familiar Blue Devil foes, the Tiger tandem of Worons and Barrett. The two teams split the first two sets, with Clemson winning the match-clinching third set in a tiebreaker.
The women's team has spent much of the fall season trying to find a doubles team which works. Hyden may have found it after this weekend, as he felt the performance of Sanderson and Webb showed a glimpse of the future of Duke doubles.
"They have the potential to be a very good doubles team," he said. "It was their first tournament together, and I liked what I saw. They made a good effort and they jelled on the court."
Sanderson agreed with her coach's assessment, realizing that she and Webb complement each other with their different styles of play.
"We both think a lot alike," she said. "We're on the same wavelength. We know what each other is thinking on the court."
The Blue Devils' other doubles team of Zifer and Fix lost in the third round to a tandem from Wake Forest, losing a heartbreaker 6-4 in the third set. Hyden commented the fast court made it difficult to break serve, as Zifer and Fix scored only one break point the entire match.
"One break of serve was what the other team needed to win," Hyden said.
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