The 2014 national indoor champions are headed back to Charlottesville.
No. 4 Duke punched its ticket to the four-day ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February with a 4-0 win against Memphis at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center Sunday in the Championship match of ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
The Blue Devils are still working to shake off the early season nerves, but winning the doubles point and grabbing the lead in singles on four of six courts gave the squad confidence to play aggressively against the Tigers.
“It lets them play freer,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “They know they can make a mistake here or there but make it swinging. They feed off each other and do a good job of letting each other know they are winning. We have to continue to do that and get that emotional lift from our seniors.”
Senior Ester Goldfeld did not disappoint Sunday.
Rebounding from their loss to Louisville’s Choe Willietts and Olivia Boesing Saturday, Goldfeld and partner Alyssa Smith sealed the doubles point for the Blue Devils (3-0) on court two. The Duke duo trailed by a game for most of the set but won three straight games to prevail 6-4 against Marta Morga and Liza Tymchenko.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native carried the momentum from her first match of the day into singles play. Across the net from Tymchenko again on court two, Goldfeld traded games with her opponent until she saw Annie Mulholland and Samantha Harris claim the first sets in their matches on courts four and six with the score of her match 4-2.
“Seeing my teammates doing well gives me confidence,” Goldfeld said. “Looking up at the scoreboard and seeing everybody doing so well makes me trust what everyone is doing, and it takes a little pressure off.”
After breaking Tymchenko’s serve, Goldfeld took the first set 6-3 and quickly took control of the second. Making quick work of the next seven games, the senior wrapped up the match 6-1 in the second set.
Sunday’s matches brought a much-needed change of tempo for the senior from the nerves and frustration of Saturday’s loss in doubles and unfinished singles match.
"Before today’s match we talked to her about having more energy,” Ashworth said. “She’s been through four years of everything; there’s no reason for her to be nervous. She has to be bigger than that. And she was today.”
Goldfeld’s win clinched the team victory for Duke as the third singles match to come off the court. Mulholland and redshirt senior Rachel Kahan had quickly dispatched Kathryn Hughes and McElroy 6-2 in doubles on court three, and after the first set in singles play, Mulholland seemed poised to wrap up her match first again. On court six, the senior took the first set in six uncontested games and only gave up two to Tara McElroy in the second to win 6-0, 6-2.
But Harris took down Alyssa Hibberd easily in the second set to beat Mulholland to the first singles point, winning her match 6-1, 6-2. The freshman and Beatrice Capra struggled in doubles play against Hibberd and her partner Anki Wind, dropping the set 7-5.
Although the loss did not seem to faze Harris in singles play, a frustrated Capra faced Wind again on court one. Finally able to take the advantage in the set, Capra held a 9-8 lead in the tiebreaker after a 12-game set when Goldfeld clinched the victory and stopped the matches on the remaining courts.
The team victory gives the Blue Devils the opportunity to defend their national indoor title in Charlottesville, Va., starting Feb. 6. Duke will need the next two weeks to continue to build confidence and prepare to play aggressively for a chance at hanging another banner in Sheffield. The Blue Devils will host No. 17 Northwestern next Sunday in their final chance to prepare for another exciting opportunity early in the spring season.
“Last year, we had zero pressure and we talked about how someone has to win it, so why not us?” Goldfeld said. “It’s different this year because we have a title to defend.”
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