The Duke women’s tennis team kicks off its indoor season Sunday without a top-15 player or a top-4 team ranking, as it is accustomed. Yet neither of these has the Blue Devils worried.
After several players spent the fall season finding their niches, the Blue Devils enter the spring season confident.
The fall was rather low-key as the team searched for identity. Top-10 player Amanda Johnson had graduated and three new players—transfers Jackie Carleton and Lauren Archer and freshman Clelia Deltour—joined the team. Much of the outdoor season featured different lineups as the team looked to balance its strengths.
“I do not think results-wise we had a great fall,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “But that gave us the chance to switch lineups around a lot, which in my mind is a good thing.”
In the ITA individual rankings, the Blue Devils have four players in the top 120: Carleton, senior Saras Arasu, sophomore Jennifer Zika and senior Katie Blaszak.
“The biggest thing after the fall and going into the spring is that our depth is going to get us through,” Ashworth said. “We have had teams in the past that have been top heavy or heavy in the 4-5-6 range. But our depth all the way through means that teams will not know where everyone is playing. We can use that to our advantage. Four players in the top 120 is a statement about our depth.”
Carleton, ranked 56th in the nation, is the highest ranked player on the team. A two-time All-American at UCLA, Carleton posted a 7-4 individual record in the fall.
“It took time to get used to the coach and the girls and how they do things here,” Carleton said. “But now I feel really settled in.”
Arasu recorded the best fall performance, going 14-3. Duke’s focus on conditioning will allow Arasu to be more active on the court during the outdoor season, a trend the Blue Devils hope to continue with in the spring.
“Team-wise, we have focused on conditioning to get everyone in the best shape possible because everyone plays their best tennis when they are in their best shape,” Arasu said.
The fall also featured experiments with doubles pairings. An injury to doubles specialist Julia Smith will keep her out for the entire spring season, leading to further shake-ups. Consequently, Duke’s highest ranked pair, Carleton and Blaszak, are ranked just No. 42, with a 2-3 record.
“We kind of sacrificed our doubles rankings in the fall because I wanted to switch things around to see who would work well together,” said Ashworth. “I really wanted to use the fall to prepare our doubles for the spring as far as who could play well together.”
After focusing on conditioning and pairings, the Blue Devils are now ready to see if they can fight their way back into the top five. National Team Indoors, held in Madison, Wis., in two weeks, will be Duke’s first chance. The tournament features 16 of the nation’s top 30 teams, and a good showing will boost individual and team rankings significantly. The top competition at the tournament will also help the team prepare itself for its difficult spring schedule.
“I feel like we are much better than eighth in the nation,” Carleton said. “So we have something to prove.”
The Blue Devils face off against No. 18 Tennessee at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center Sunday in their opening match of the indoor season.
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