The ninth-seeded Blue Devils started strong in their quest for the program's first national chamiponship as they breezed through their two opening-round opponents last weekend at Ambler Stadium.
On Friday, Duke (19-4) routed Temple 4-0 and kept the momentum going in the second round Saturday, as it downed William & Mary 4-1. The victories propelled the Blue Devils to the NCAA championships in Tulsa, Okla. for their Sweet 16 match Thursday.
In both matches, Duke came out of the gate strong to take the doubles point before heading into singles play. The Blue Devils are undefeated this season when they take two of the three doubles matches for the match's all-important first point.
"It is such a big momentum swing after the doubles point," said junior Melissa Mang, who, along with sophomore Amanda Granson, makes up the seventh-ranked tandem in the country. "As you move further along and play tougher teams, those doubles points become a huge part of it. William & Mary has always had really good doubles, so it was nice that we came out and played really well and got on top of them in the beginning."
After defeating William & Mary (18-8) at second and third doubles, Duke junior Jessi Robinson lost 7-5, 6-0 in the sixth singles spot to allow the Tribe to even the match at one. That would prove to be the first and last Blue Devil loss of the weekend as Duke took the first, fourth and fifth singles points to clinch the win.
Mang, who plays in the No. 4-singles spot, only lost three games in four sets. She disposed of her first-round opponent 6-1, 6-1 and then stayed strong the next day to give Duke a 2-1 edge over William & Mary as she pounded Klaudyna Kasztelaniec 6-0, 6-1.
"[Kasztelaniec] was a very good player," said Mang. "She played a lot better in the second set. This was one of my most mentally tough matches that I have had all season. I just didn't let up at all. I really stayed focused the entire match. Even when she started playing better in the second set, I didn't let it bother me. I won a lot of close games that went back and forth to deuce and add and just kept it from getting close."
Granson finished next at fifth singles, defeating Lauren Sabacinski 6-0, 6-4 for her second victory of the weekend. Freshman Reka Zsilinszka provided one of the three victories in the first round at third singles.
"The middle of our lineup is where we have won a lot of matches, going back to January," said head coach Jamie Ashworth. "You win and lose matches in the middle of your lineup. It just shows what kind of depth we have had all year."
The final win in the second round was one of the biggest upsets Duke has pulled off all season. Top singles Tara Iyer, who entered the contest against William & Mary with a 10-11 individual record, beat No. 12 Megan Moulton-Levy 6-2, 6-4 to put the final nail in the Tribe's coffin.
"She has been really close to that level," said Ashworth of Iyer. "One of the things she did today was stay focused, and she stayed aggressive when there was that kind of match pressure on her. The few times before, she didn't stay as aggressive and got in a mode where she was hoping the other person would miss instead of going out and playing to win. Today, she played to win."
The Blue Devils continue in the postseason Thursday against No. 8 California. Should it win, Duke would play the winner of No. 1 Northwestern-Fresno St. Saturday. Northwestern defeated Duke 5-2 Feb. 24.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.