Three Blue Devils Qualify For Indoor Championships

Monday, October 17

Chapel Hill, N.C.

All Day

Duke University

Day Five

Duke Listed Second Among SMASH Magazine?s Men?s and Women?s Top Tennis Schools

Three Blue Devils Qualify For Indoor Championships

10/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

By: Duke Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Duke newcomer duo of Daniela Bercek and Jessi Robinson claimed their second 2005 doubles title Monday at the Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championships, held at North Carolina. With the win, the pair advances to the ITA National Collegiate Indoor Championships, Nov. 3-6. Senior Jackie Carleton made it to the regional singles finals to also earn a bid to the national tournament.

Carleton entered the regional tournament seeded fourth and won five straight matches, upsetting top-seeded Kim Coventry of Kentucky in Monday's semifinals, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to move on to the final match and secure her national bid.

“This past two-week stretch is the best Jackie has played since she has been at Duke,” said head coach Jamie Ashworth.

Despite falling in the championship to Clemson's Federica van Aldrichem, 6-3, 6-3, Carleton will join teammate Bercek in the singles bracket of the indoor championships. Bercek qualified for the national tournament by advancing to the finals of the All-American Tournament Oct. 9.

Carleton is in her second year with the Blue Devils after transferring from UCLA. She improved upon last year's performance, when she advanced to the Round of 16 at regionals.

Bercek, also a transfer from UCLA, and freshman Robinson proved their No. 1 seeding in the regional tournament, ousting second-seeded Coventry and Joelle Schwenk of Kentucky, 8-4, from the running for a national bid. The pair will be one of 16 teams competing at the Ohio State-hosted indoor championships in less than three weeks.

Bercek and Robinson received a bye in the first doubles round but still had to win five matches to win the regional championship. Four Duke doubles teams made up half of the quarterfinal competition, forcing a showdown between two Blue Devil pairings in Sunday's semifinals. Bercek and Robinson edged freshman Melissa Mang and junior Jennifer Zika, 9-8, to reach the finals.

“Our doubles teams looked really good,” said Ashworth. “We had the best doubles results we've had in a long time. Our toughest match ended up being the tiebreaker with our own doubles team, so I think we're in really good shape for the rest of the fall and heading into the spring.”

Carleton, Bercek and Robinson can now begin preparing for the national indoor championships, while the rest of the Duke team gears up for the annual UNC-Kitty Harrison Invitational, Nov. 4-6.

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