GAINESVILLE, Fla. - For the second consecutive year, Duke sophomore Kelly McCain fell in the first round of the NCAA women's tennis tournament.
The Blue Devil star, seeded third in the event, was upset by South Alabama's 32nd-ranked Viktoria Stoklasova 6-7(3), 7-6(8), 6-4 in a 3:25 minute battle. McCain had several match points in the second set tiebreak but could not convert.
With a 2-1 lead in the third set, McCain developed severe leg cramps that limited her mobility for the remainder of the match.
"I felt really bad for her because she was obviously in a lot of pain," Stoklasova said. "I was just trying to play my game and not worry about what she was doing."
The Blue Devils did get a positive showing from 19th-ranked Amanda Johnson. The junior reached the round of 16, marking her best finish in the NCAA Singles Championship and earning her All-American honors for the third time in three seasons.
Johnson defeated No. 50 Susi Wild of UCLA 6-0, 6-3 in the first round, followed by a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 come-from-behind triumph against Miami's Megan Bradley.
The Bettendorf, Iowa native then fell to top seed Villmarie Castelli of Tennessee, 6-2, 6-1 to finish the season with a 28-9 overall record.
"She's a good player but I think I definitely had opportunities in this match that I did not take advantage of for whatever reason," Johnson said. "The first three games were really tough so I may have let down after that."
Duke's only other singles player, No. 60 Saras Arasu, fell 6-1, 7-6 to No. 42 Marlene Mejia of North Carolina.
In doubles play, the No. 8 duo of Johnson and senior Julie DeRoo had a disappointing finish to its otherwise stellar season, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Miami's Melissa Applebaum and Bradley.
The 14th-ranked McCain and senior Hillary Adams, who reached the semifinals of the 2002 tournament, fell in the second round to California's No. 4 Christina Fusano and Raquel Kops-Jones 6-2, 6-1.
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