Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis versus ITA All-American Championship on September 20, 2025
Women's Tennis
vs ITA All-American Championship
Wednesday, May 20
College Station, Texas
All Day
Duke University
vs
First Round Singles
Trio Of Blue Devils Advance On Day One
5/20/2009 10:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis, Athletics
COLLEGE STATION, Texas?Less than 12 hours after winning the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship, three Blue Devils hit the courts in the individual competition. The trio of players all earned victories in the opening day, including a win by sophomore Ellah Nze upsetting the No. 14 seed.
Freshman Mallory Cecil and sophomores Reka Zsilinszka and Nze each earned bids to the tournament, which kicked off on May 20 at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
“It's definitely different to transition from team to individuals,” Cecil said. “You're all six on a court screaming for one another and now it's all you out there. It's definitely a different transition.”
Cecil and Zsilinszka kicked off the evening with straight-set victories. Seeded fifth overall, Cecil took on No. 42 Sarah Fansler of University of Southern California in her opening match. The Spartanburg, S.C., native cruised to her 25th victory of the year with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph. She will face Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech in the second round at 1:30 p.m., on May 21.
“I was a little shaky in the beginning,” Cecil said. “As far as intensity I felt like I had to bring that more from within today. In the beginning of the match I wasn't going for my shots and I was being tentative. At the changeover, they kept telling me to keep going for my shots. So I started going in more and I felt like I loosened up overall.”
Zsilinszka pushed her win streak to 17 as she dominated Caitlin Whoriskey of Tennessee 6-3, 6-2. The 2008 All-America, Zsilinszka is now 39-7 overall this season and will take on 12th-seeded Irina Falconi in the round of 16. That match is scheduled to start at 12 p.m., on May 21.
Completing the perfect day for the Blue Devils was Nze against Arizona State's Kelcy McKenna. The Tampa, Fla., native got off to a fast start and rode the momentum to a 6-3, 7-6 (2). In search of a bid to the round of 16, Nze will take on Amanda Fink of Southern California at 1 p.m., on May 21.
“I felt really good out there,” Nze said. “I was relaxed and had nothing to lose. I just wanted to win so badly. Last year we lost in the round of 16 and I lost in the first round and I didn't want to lose in the first round again so I just played with a lot of heart and ran down every single ball.”
The Blue Devil duo of Melissa Mang and Amanda Granson kicks off doubles play tomorrow, May 21, in the first round against Nadine Farhoum and Charleen Haarhoff of Old Dominion. They defeated the Monarch pair 8-4 earlier in the season.
NCAA Individual Tournament
May 20-25, 2009 at College Station, Texas (Mitchell Tennis Center)
| Singles competition | |
| 1 | #6 Mallory Cecil (Duke University) def. #42 Sarah Fansler (Southern California) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 1 | #37 Ellah Nze (Duke University) def. #10 Kelcy McKenna (Arizona State) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) |
| 1 | #30 Reka Zsilinszka (Duke University) def. #34 Caitlin Whoriskey (Tennessee) 6-3, 6-2 |
-d-u-k-e-
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
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