After losing in a nail-biter to North Carolina in the quarterfinals of last year’s NCAA tournament, Duke looks to avenge last year’s loss with a team of veterans led by a key recruit.
The Blue Devils (0-0) begin play today at 10 a.m. at the Cary Tennis Park with the three-day Fab Four Invite, in which a total of 21 teams—11 in the men and 10 in the women—will compete.
Expectations for the team are high, after losing only one senior from last year’s team and adding an important transfer, senior Nadine Fahoum. Fahoum, a transfer from Old Dominion, is No. 24 in the ITA preseason ranking and is among the top Duke singles players.
Three other Blue Devils are also in the top 50 with senior Reka Zsilinszka at No. 25, senior Ellah Nze at No. 29 and fifth-year senior Elizabeth Plotkin at No. 50.
“[The ranking] shows how good our team is,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “It sends a message to our team that we can be as good as anybody in the country.”
However, Ashworth was quick to note that the team does not pay too much attention to the preseason rankings.
“It doesn’t really reflect freshmen, and basically it’s just a result of how you played at the end of last year,” he said.
Perhaps the most interesting story on the team is Fahoum, as senior transfers are unusual. The Israeli native has not had any trouble fitting in, however.
“Social-wise with the team it was easy because I knew some of the girls before coming here,” she said. “I like the competition [compared to Old Dominion].”
In doubles, three Duke pairs are in the ITA top 50, notably junior Monica Gorny and sophomore Mary Clayton who are ranked No. 9. Fahoum is scheduled to be Nze’s doubles partner, but Ashworth made it clear nothing is set in stone.
“This weekend we may actually play some different doubles teams than we were playing in the preseason rankings,” he said. “We’re just trying to put ourselves in a really good position for the spring, [even] if that means splitting some doubles teams up.”
The veteran team knows it is expected to perform well this year, but it still looks to improve going into the season—especially with October’s Riviera All-American tournament in California just a few weeks away.
“You always improve together, and hopefully we’ll see some results team-wise and individually,” Fahoum said. “Twenty-four is not bad, but it’s not my goal.”
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