A 7-0 defeat to then-No. 9 Florida in Gainesville two weeks ago—Duke’s most recent match before this weekend—raised some serious questions about this Blue Devil squad’s chances of repeating as NCAA champsions, but a convincing 5-2 win over No. 3 Notre Dame Friday puts No. 7 Duke right in the mix.
Playing in Humacao, Puerto Rico, the Blue Devils (11-2) were thoroughly beaten in doubles play by a strong Fighting Irish squad that has already recorded impressive wins against No. 1 Northwestern and No. 12 Tennessee this season. In doubles, Duke’s top team of Ellah Nza and Amanda Granson went down 8-2, and third-seeded Monica Gorney and Jessica Stiles lost 8-3 to give the point to Notre Dame (12-2).
Singles play, though, was a different story, and showed the depth and talent level that Duke possesses even without its star of 2009, Mallory Cecil.
Senior Elizabeth Plotkin, who missed all of last year’s championship run with a knee injury, kept her great season going with a straight-set win over Shannon Mathews at the No. 2 slot. Plotkin is now 12-1 on the season.
And on the other end of the age spectrum, freshman Mary Clayton made her presence felt at No. 6 singles with an easy 6-3, 6-0 win. The shutout in the second set helped Clayton become the first Duke player to finish her match and give the Blue Devils momentum in the rest of singles action.
“We got off to a good start at singles,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “We talked about before singles that we have to be willing to pay the price to stay on the court. We need to chase down every shot and be patient and make Notre Dame come up with shots. And when the opportunity came to finish points, we did a really good job.”
Senior Reka Zsilinszka gave Duke an even bigger advantage at No. 3 as she overwhelmed Chrissie McGaffigan, 6-1, 6-0. Zsilinszka, the No. 45 player in the country, has been playing further down the order lately after starting the season as Duke’s top seed, and wins like this one will give her, and her teammates, confidence as they enter a crucial stretch of their season.
The Blue Devils now get another week off to prepare for a visit from No. 1 Northwestern March 24.
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