Cecil Wins Again; Will Vie For National Title On Monday

Sunday, May 24

College Station, Texas

12:30 p.m.

Duke University

NCAA Semifinals

Cecil To Play In Major Professional Tournament Monday

Cecil Wins Again; Will Vie For National Title On Monday

5/24/2009 1:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Duke Sports Information

COLLEGE STATION, Texas?Duke University freshman Mallory Cecil earned the opportunity vie for her second national championship in a week after cruising to victory over this afternoon in the NCAA Women's Tennis Individual Championship semifinal today. The fifth-seeded Cecil will play Miami's Laura Vallverdu for the national title on May 25 at 12 p.m., at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.

“I'm having a lot of fun,” Cecil said. “It kind of stinks that none of my teammates are here, but I know they all are cheering me on. I'm just enjoying being here and enjoying the moment.

Cecil eased her way into the final match with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Miami's second-seeded Julia Cohen. The win is the third straight for Cecil over Cohen. She defeated her Hurricane rival in the ACC Tournament and again in the NCAA Tournament team quarterfinal match.

“There are a lot of players who play like her in the college game,” Cecil said. “Knowing that I need to come in and she's going to give me some short balls, I just have to convert them and take advantage of those opportunities.”

Cecil used an early break in the opening set and cruised to the 6-1 victory to take a one set to love lead in the match. The rookie native of Spartanburg, S.C., native kept Cohen on her heals throughout the opening set with aggressive play and getting to the net to finish out points.

Looking to capture her fifth consecutive straight-set victory, Cecil opened the second set with a break on Cohen's serve. She continued to control the match, holding serve and earning a second break for the 3-0 lead in the second set. It was all Cecil for the rest of the match as she took the next three games to win the match 6-1, 6-0.

“I feel like I'm really mentally tough right now,” Cecil said. I know I'm going to make mistakes so I just have to relax, keep swinging and that it's going to work out for me. I'm staying on top of my game and I feel like I'm staying aggressive out there.”

Cecil is just the second Blue Devil to advance to the national title match and holds a 31-4 overall record this season. She will square off against Vallverdu for the first time this season. It will be the third time she has played a Hurricane player in the tournament. Vallverdu defeated Duke's Ellah Nze in all three matches this season in the No. 2 singles spot. Vanessa Webb was the first Blue Devil to win a national title, taking home the honor in 1998.

Fans can follow the national title match through live video. A link is provided at www.GoDuke.com.

Singles competition
SF #5 Mallory Cecil (Duke University) def. #2 Julia Cohen (Miami) 6-1, 6-0

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