Match 10
No. 23 Duke (4-5, 0-0) vs. No. 41 Virginia Tech (7-2, 0-1)
Friday, Feb. 27 | 6 p.m.
Durham, N.C. | Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
Match 11
No. 23 Duke (4-5, 0-0) vs. Louisville (9-5, 1-0)
Sunday, March 1 | 11 a.m.
Durham, N.C. | Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
Live Stats | Twitter
DURHAM, N.C. – The 23rd-ranked Duke women's tennis team opens conference play this weekend, welcoming both 41st-ranked Virginia Tech and Louisville to Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils look to end a five-match skid, as well as extend a home-match win streak of 17 straight that dates back to last season.
All regular season Duke women's tennis home events at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center and Ambler Tennis Stadium are free to the public. General public parking is available in the Blue Zone parking lot off of Duke University Road.
Virginia Tech Series History
The Blue Devils and Hokies meet for the 21st time on Friday, with Duke leading the series, 19-1. Duke last faced Virginia Tech on March 8, 2014, with the Blue Devils earning a 5-2 victory in Blacksburg, Va. Prior to the team's lone loss against the Hokies, which came on April 25, 2013, Duke owned an 18-match win streak over Virginia Tech, which dated back to March 20, 1979. The Blue Devils have outscored the Hokies, 130-17, in the team's 19 wins, with Duke shutting out Virginia Tech in seven of those contests. The Blue Devils remain undefeated against Virginia Tech when playing in home contests.
Scouting the Hokies
The Hokies, ranked 41st in the latest ITA poll, own a 7-2 record this season, with victories over No. 35 Princeton and No. 73 Marshall highlighting the team's list of wins this year. The squad's two losses this season came against No. 7 Alabama and No. 14 Clemson, while the remaining five wins were over Davidson, Radford, Old Dominion, Morgan State and Coastal Carolina.
In singles, the Hokies are headlined by 81st-ranked Brooke Austin, who owns a 4-3 mark at the No. 1 position this season. In addition to Stoica, Virginia Tech is also represented in the singles rankings by 104th-ranked Caroline Daxhelet, who has compiled a perfect mark of 6-0 in dual matches this year, with a majority of her victories coming at the No. 4 position.
Virginia Tech's doubles pair of Elena Cerezo-Codina and Sansitha Nandakumar is the lone representation for the Hokies on the ITA's rankings, coming in at No. 52. Cerezo-Codina and Nandakumar own a record of 3-0 in 2015, with one win on court two and two wins on court three.
Louisville Series History
Duke and Louisville met for the first time in program history in the opening match of the ITA Kick-off Weekend earlier this season, with the Blue Devils earning a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals. Duke won in convincing fashion as the Blue Devils secured the doubles point following a 6-2 win on court one and a 6-3 result on court three. In singles, all three deciding matches required just two sets to clinch the opening round win for Duke.
Scouting the Cardinals
After the Cardinals fell to Duke in the ITA Kick-off Weekend contest, Louisville went on to win four straight matches, including two by shutout. Since the team's four-match win streak, the Cardinals have lost four straight, with two contests, against Notre Dame and North Texas, being decided by one point each. Prior to facing Duke in Durham, the Cardinals are scheduled to face NC State Friday, Feb. 27 in Raleigh, N.C.
Louisville fields a young team that includes five freshmen and four sophomores, with Manuela Velasquez serving as the team's lone senior. In singles, the team is headlined by Velasquez, who is 7-2 in dual matches this season, Jessie Lynn Paul, who owns a 10-2 singles mark and Olivia Boesing, who sits at 9-2 on the year. Boesing and Paul each enter the weekend of competition with two-match win streaks on the line.
Louisville's top two doubles pairs this season include the team of Ariana Rodriguez and Elle Stokes and the duo of Boesing and Chloe Willets. Rodriguez and Stokes currently own an 8-2 mark in dual matches this year, with all eight victories coming at the No. 1 position. Boesing and Willetts have posted equally strong play at the No. 2 position this season, with nine of their victories coming on court two. The tandem has won seven of its last 10 matches.
Duke in ACC Play
Historically, the Blue Devils have seen significant success in conference play over the years, compiling an overall record of 226-42 (.843) against ACC competition in regular season matches. Duke has also registered 15 undefeated seasons over a span of 32 years against conference foes. With Ashworth at the helm, the Blue Devils have recorded six undefeated seasons in conference play.
Duke in the ITA Rankings
The Duke women's tennis team currently ranks 23rd in the nation in the latest ITA polls.
In addition to the team ranking, three members of the squad, senior Ester Goldfeld, redshirt senior Rachel Kahan and freshman Samantha Harris, also appear on the ITA's national singles rankings list, garnering the 51st, 86th and 87th spot, respectively. Goldfeld currently owns a team-best 15 victories, including five dual match wins. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native remains undefeated this season while playing at the No. 2 position, winning all three of her matches on the second court. Kahan heads into this weekend's competition with an overall record of 10-11, while Harris, showcasing an ability to contribute during her freshman campaign in Durham, has compiled an overall mark of 11-4 and a dual match mark of 3-2. Harris remains unbeaten this season in dual match play while on courts three and four.
Two Approaching 100
The Blue Devils have two singles players this season, seniors Ester Goldfeld and Rachel Kahan, who are quickly approaching the 100-win mark. Goldfeld sits just six singles wins shy of becoming the 24th player in Duke history to win 100 matches over her career. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has dropped just 35 singles matches over her time at Duke, and currently owns a career record of 94-35 (.696). Goldfeld has picked up five wins in seven dual matches this season, including a flawless 3-0 record at the No. 2 position.
Kahan is also nearing the 100-win plateau, sitting at 87-23 (.791) over her Duke career. The Unionville, Conn., native has recorded 20 or more wins in all three of her seasons at Duke, and owns a team-best 28-4 (.875) conference record.
Home Sweet Home
The Blue Devils carry a 17-match home win streak into the weekend of play, with three home victories earlier this season and 14 from last year. Duke reached the 14-win barrier for the second time in four years, after also seeing 14 wins at home during the 2012 season.
Duke faced stout competition at home in 2014, including 11 matches against ranked opponents. While in Durham, the Blue Devils outscored their opponents, 70-8, with shutouts in seven of the team's 14 home contests.
The Blue Devils also hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, earning 4-0 victories over East Tennessee State University and No. 30 South Carolina, advancing Duke to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
Fresh Spark
Duke welcomed three freshmen to the team this season, Samantha Harris, Christina Makarova and Rebecca Smaller. The freshman trio has amassed an overall record of 22-12 (.647) in singles play over the 2014-15 season, and accounts for over 22 percent of the team's dual match singles victories.
The doubles play of the freshmen has also benefited Duke this year, with Harris, Makarova and Smaller combining for an overall doubles mark of 24-13 (.649) and a dual match doubles record of 6-3 (.667). While paired with senior Annie Mulholland, Harris has posted a 4-1 dual match doubles ledger and a 7-2 overall doubles mark.
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