The women's tennis team looks to open the dual meet season with a bang this weekend. The No. 5 Blue Devils, who are the eight-time defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions, head to Utah for a three-day weekend of meets. During the weekend, they will face Brigham Young, Utah and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Despite Duke's high national ranking, head coach Jody Hyden looks forward to a challenging weekend of matchups.
"Women's tennis is getting better and better every year," Hyden said. "There's more and more parity."
Brigham Young is ranked in the top 20 nationwide, and recently knocked off fourth-ranked Georgia. The Blue Devils' other opponents are both ranked in the top 30.
On an individual level, the matchups are tough to predict. Hyden said that Brigham Young will be switching its lineup from meet to meet. This tactic carries a warning for Duke, since the Cougars have already beaten powerhouses Georgia and Tennessee. One of BYU's tougher competitors should be freshman Eline Chiew. Chiew has already been named the WAC Player of the Week this season.
Duke's lineup, too, will be unpredictable. Hyden plans to move the players around from time to time. Although freshman Vanessa Webb has secured the number one position, the rest of the lineup is very even and interchangeable.
"Every matchup will be exciting," Hyden said.
Duke enters this spring season without a senior on the squad. This relative youth might be a concern at many schools, but Hyden is not worried.
"We're young, but we've got a lot of good experience," Hyden said.
Four of the team members are juniors, and all have considerable tennis experience. Three Duke players have gained college experience, and the fourth, Luanne Spadea, has prepared herself in the pros. Freshman Webb also enters with experience from professional tournaments.
One improvement that Hyden points out over last season is the number of players. Last year, the team consisted of a mere six players, allowing little rest for each. Hyden compared it to a basketball team with only five players. He called the situation the "you-can't-get-hurt rule," because any injuries would result in a team without enough players to fill all its positions. By the end of the year, two players were hit with overuse injuries. The eight-member squad currently playing is the highest number allowed by the NCAA to travel to any away meet.
This meet marks the start of the dual season for the entire team, and for some the first chance to play this spring. Hyden believes that this fact alone will create a good atmosphere for the Blue Devils.
"I think all three matches are going to be really good matchups," Hyden said. "I'm just excited to get the season started here."
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