The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion women's tennis team travels to Georgia for its fourth dual meet of the season at noon on Saturday. The Blue Devils will attempt to improve upon their current winning record of 2-1. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs have built up a strong rivalry with No. 5 Duke over the years. Georgia leads the overall series 12-7, and the Bulldogs won both of last year's matchups.
Both Duke and Georgia have already lost to Brigham Young this season. Duke head coach Jody Hyden, however, believes this matchup will be more difficult.
"We need more energy for this match than the BYU match," Hyden said.
Hyden realizes that a win in this matchup will require the full depth of the team. He said that Georgia's top three players are all very strong.
"I think against Georgia, every match is a key match," Hyden said. "To say [there is] one key matchup is not the case. This year it's better to look at every single matchup. We have to play well at [positions] four, five and six."
The Blue Devils will look to freshman Vanessa Webb to lead the team in her No. 1 singles position. She went 3-0 two weekends ago and looks to perform similarly on Saturday. She also played in the Rolex Indoor tournament last weekend. Other strong performers should be freshman Kristin Sanderson and junior Karen O'Sullivan, who both also maintain 3-0 records.
One aspect for Duke fans to be excited about is the strong return of sophomore Laura Zifer. She pulled a muscle earlier this season and was unable to play her full number of matches, missing the Brigham Young meeting entirely.
On the doubles front, Duke has performed well this season. Webb holds a 2-1 doubles record, as does sophomore Luanne Spadea. Hyden stressed that this trend needs to continue.
"We have to play well at all three doubles-it could come down to doubles," he said.
Both teams are known for their solid doubles play. Duke's tandem of Zifer and junior Wendy Fix was ranked No. 9 nationally in the preseason rankings, and Georgia's pair of Anne Chauzu and Tina Samara was ranked No. 16.
This team of Blue Devils will also face a little craziness from the fans. Not unlike Duke and its infamous Cameron Crazies, Georgia offers an active crowd with a reputation for barking at the players.
"It's crazy down there," Hyden said. "Our girls know that. They actually like that. It makes it much more fun for everyone. It's going to be tough."
Both teams will be looking to prove their high national rankings. Duke will be looking for revenge from last year's 5-4 losses, which were two of only six setbacks that it suffered all year. Hyden expects this to be an exciting competition.
"I think it's going to be a really good match-I'm excited," Hyden said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.