The Blue Devils dropped the first five singles matches after conceding the doubles point, and head into the postseason having lost four in a row, including three to teams ranked in the top seven in the country.
Despite the absence of senior leader Beatrice Capra for the third straight match, the Blue Devils closed out the regular season on a high note at Clemson and earned a much-needed two-day bye in the ACC tournament.
No. 16 Georgia Tech dealt the short-handed No. 8 Blue Devils a tight 4-3 loss Friday afternoon. at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta. Four of the six singles matches went three sets—and three needed tiebreakers—but No. 49 Paige Hourigan outlasted Duke's No. 41 Kaitlyn McCarthy on court two to give the Yellow Jackets the win.
Clemson stormed back with four straight singles victories to snatch a 4-3 win from Duke at Ambler Tennis Stadium. Daniel McCall’s final two sets had to be decided by tiebreakers, but the senior could not come away with either one, leaving the Blue Devils with their third straight loss and fourth 4-3 loss on the year.
No. 8 Duke closes out its regular season this weekend with road matches at No. 16 Georgia Tech Friday at 3 p.m. in Atlanta before journeying to Clemson, S.C., to take on Clemson Sunday at noon.
Duke closes the regular season with matches Friday and Sunday, marking the end of an era for two Blue Devil seniors. Clemson visits Durham first for a 3 p.m. contest before Duke takes on rival No. 5 North Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Blue Devils were eager to close out their home slate on Senior Day with their lone honoree leading the way on court one.
With their conference slate quickly coming to a close, the Blue Devils’ lone senior will play in front of a home crowd one last time.
No. 6 Wake Forest dispatched Duke 6-1 Saturday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex, handing the Blue Devils a second straight loss to a top-10 ACC opponent and their first loss in Winston-Salem since 2008.
The No. 8 Blue Devils got back on track in conference play, cruising past a short-handed Boston College squad 6-1 at the Sheffield Tennis Center.
The Blue Devils looked poised for the win with a 3-0 lead and one-set advantage on three singles courts, but the Wolverines reeled off two comeback wins to help tie the score—forcing all eyes to court one for the deciding match.
The season may be winding down for the Blue Devils, but the competition is heating up.
After winning eight of their first 10 matches in ACC play, the Blue Devils have climbed into the top 10 of this week’s ITA rankings. Now Duke will try and see if it can stay hot against a stout nonconference opponent.
No. 3 Virginia seemed to have all the answers Sunday, downing Duke 6-1 Sunday afternoon. The Cavaliers dominated the doubles point to grab an early lead, then held on through a tough singles slate.
The No. 10 Blue Devils bounced back from a 4-1 home loss against No. 3 North Carolina Tuesday by sweeping No. 12 Virginia 4-0 Friday and defeating the Fighting Irish two days later.
Duke has struggled to sustain strong play in many of its matches this spring but had no such issues Friday, continuing its dominance of an in-state rival thanks to another fast start..
No. 10 Duke hits the road Friday to take on No. 12 Virginia at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va., at 3 p.m. as the Blue Devils face off against a third straight top-20 opponent.
With the ACC season winding down, the Blue Devils play two critical conference matches this weekend against N.C. State and Virginia.
Duke was building a lead, and it seemed like the hosts could pull out an upset against its bitter Tobacco Road rival. But during the biggest moments of four matches, with all the pressure on, the Blue Devils lost their grip. No. 3 North Carolina defeated No. 10 Duke 4-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Stadium, handing the Blue Devils their second loss in 11 contests.
No. 10 Duke will face Tobacco Road rival No. 4 North Carolina Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Amber Tennis Stadium. After beating then-No. 14 Wake Forest on the road Saturday, the Blue Devils will continue their stiff 11-day stretch, with matches still left to be played against the Tar Heels, No. 12 Virginia and No. 9 Michigan.
