The women's tennis team notched another impressive road victory Sunday on its way to the National Team Indoors.
No. 14 Duke (2-0) rolled over No. 32 Indiana (3-1), 6-1, in Bloomington, Ind. In addition to recording its second consecutive victory over a ranked opponent, the Blue Devils utilized the match as a useful tuneup for the National Team Indoors, which start Thursday in Madison, Wisc.
Duke will look for its second title at the elite 16-team tournament, which it won in 2003.
"The courts at Indiana are faster than any we see all year except for Madison," head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "So I think it was a really good warmup for us."
The Blue Devils jumped on the Hoosiers early by sweeping the three doubles matches and earning the crucial doubles point.
"I think when people see our lineup, it puts a lot of pressure on them knowing they have to win four singles matches," Ashworth said.
"Beating us in four singles matches is really tough the way we are playing in singles. We know we can win at least three against anyone in the country."
Duke's 10th-ranked doubles pair of junior Daniela Bercek and freshman Jessi Robinson set the pace by easily dispatching Indiana's 37th-ranked duo, 8-2.
The Blue Devils' No. 2 pair of junior Jennifer Zika and freshman Melissa Mang, who rank 41st in the nation, secured the doubles point with an 8-5 victory.
Junior Kristin Cargill and senior Jackie Carleton also teamed up to defeat Sigrid Fischer and Cecile Perton, 8-4.
"We played much better doubles today," Ashworth said. "We had good reactions at the net, and we did a better job of moving our feet, which worried me last week."
Bercek, ranked sixth nationally, fell behind early in her singles match, 4-1, but adjusted to the fast surface and took 11 of the next 12 games to defeat No. 98 Sarah Batty, 6-4, 6-1.
"When you play on a surface that fast, you have to be really disciplined on your service returns," Ashworth said. "It just changes the mindset a little bit."
Mang rolled, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 4 position, and Robinson clinched the match with her first singles win of the dual season, 6-2, 7-5.
Carleton, who is ranked 27th nationally, also recorded a straight-set victory over No. 100 Laura McGaffigan at the second position.
Zika, who only played in doubles last week, won the only three-set match of the day, 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (7).
Cargill was the only Blue Devil to lose as she fell, 6-3, 6-3, to Brianna Williams, who is undefeated this season.
The trip to Bloomington was the second of four road weekends to start the season-Duke does not have a home match until Feb. 26.
Ashworth said despite the lack of crowd support, there are advantages to traveling away from Durham.
"Historically we've played better on the road, I think because there are a lot more things you can control on the road," Ashworth said.
"The girls would rather play at Duke, but as a coach, it makes it a little bit easier to be able to control things like meal times and sleeping arrangements."
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