The women's tennis team will have its final tuneup before team competition begins as its players compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Tournament at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill this weekend.
The No. 3 Blue Devils had a fruitful fall season, compiling a combined 60-31 record in individual matches. Next Saturday they will face Kansas in Williamsburg, Va., to kick off team play, so this weekend's tournament will serve as both a final opportunity to succeed individually and a chance to prepare for the upcoming "second season", which is comprised of dual matches against some of the nation's elite programs.
"It should be a good tournament for us to get some matches in before the dual season starts," coach Jody Hyden said. "Hopefully we'll have good, close matches."
His players last competed for Duke on November 1-4, at the Rolex Qualifier in Chapel Hill, but Hyden said he wasn't worried about rustiness, as most of the team participated in tournaments over the layoff.
"For me and the rest of the team, we just want to play well and get used to the indoor courts," senior Diana Spadea, ranked 43rd in the nation, said.
There will be 49 singles players and 21 doubles teams from ACC schools competing from Friday through Monday.
The doubles tandems of seniors Karen O'Sullivan and Luanne Spadea (who are No. 6 in the country and seeded first), freshman Brooke Siebel and junior Ellen McCance, and seniors Wendy Fix and Diana Spadea (seeded third) will represent Duke.
All of those Blue Devils will also compete in singles, along with junior Laura Zifer and sophomore Libble Miller. Duke holds seeds number two through five, with Diana Spadea second, Fix third, O'Sullivan fourth, and Luanne Spadea fifth.
And this is without three of the team's top players; sophomore Vanessa Webb and freshman Karin Miller-who are ranked first and ninth, respectively-will be in Dallas preparing for the Feb. 6-9 Rolex Indoors, while sophomore Kristin Sanderson, No. 90 in the nation, is out with a sprained ankle.
"We're actually looking to play each other," Hyden said. "Hopefully Duke will be playing well all the way down... Most of them had a good fall. They all have a shot to do well."
Lori Sowell of Florida State is the top singles seed, and might stand in the way of an all-Blue Devil final.
"She's a very good indoor player," Hyden said. "She's tough and has a lot of power."
Blair Sutton of N.C. State, Cristina Caparis of Wake Forest, Paige Boiko of Virginia, Ann Olsson of FSU, Steffi Woerz of Clemson, Jane Courtney Biber of UNC and Pam Cartion of UVa round out the top 12 seeds.
All of Duke's seeded players have first round byes. Zifer will start off against Emily Hill of UVa, McCance against Stacy Walkowitz of Maryland, Miller against Kia Astero of FSU, and Siebel against Sarah Hawkins of UNC. The doubles team of McCance and Siebel will face Shir Noy and Meredith Chandler of Clemson in the first round.
While the Blue Devils have prospered individually, Diana Spadea said they are looking forward to the team competition.
Hyden added that this weekend's event will allow his players to familiarize themselves with conference opponents, as Duke embarks on its campaign for a tenth-straight ACC crown.
"I'm glad we have [the tournament]," the coach said. "There used to not be anything once school started [after winter break] so it's a nice thing for the conference to hold this."
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