Duke Pulls Out Quarterfinal Win Over N.C. State

Friday, April 22

Cary, N.C.

10:30 AM

Duke University

N.C. State (Quarterfinals)

Zsilinszka Set for National Indoor Championships

Duke Pulls Out Quarterfinal Win Over N.C. State

4/22/2011 4:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Duke Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 3 Duke was able to edge No. 28 North Carolina State, 4-3, to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday.

With Duke leading 3-1 in the match, each of the top three positions were going into three sets. The Blue Devils had veterans at all three spots with a trio of seniors and needed to win just one of the three to advance to the semifinals.

Of the three it was No. 18 Reka Zsilinszka who came through with the big win in the deciding match. She jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Tatiana Illova at the No. 3 spot. However, Illova fought back to cut the set score to 4-3. Zsilinszka held serve to make it 5-3 and then came through with a break to clinch the match victory for the Blue Devils.

Duke needed the strong performance from Zsilinszka as No. 36 Nadine Fahoum was defeated 6-1 by No. 31 Sanaa Bhambri in the final set to cut the lead to 3-2. Also, No. 88 Ellah Nze was handed a 6-1 loss in the third set by No. 94 Sandhya Nagaraj that tied the team score at 3-3.

"Reka has been in that situation so many times it makes you have to beat her because she is not going to give away points," said head coach Jamie Ashworth. "She was in the same situation last week against North Carolina. She stayed loose and kept putting balls in play. That is who you want in a pressure situation."

Earlier in the match the Blue Devils got a big boost from the bottom three members of their lineup after losing the doubles point as all three cruised in straight sets. No. 78 Mary Clayton evened up the team score with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6. At the No. 5 position, No. 82 Rachel Kahan earned a 6-1, 6-2 win and No. 63 Elizabeth Plotkin claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win to earn the sweep for the set of three courts.

"We came out flat in doubles which we haven't done in a long time, but I still thought we were in really good shape with our singles," said Ashworth. "We got three quick wins and had three seniors left on the other three courts. I thought we would get one in straight sets but N.C. State played really well as a team and it came down to Reka (Zsilinszka)."

The match was delayed 1 1/2 hours and moved indoors due to inclement weather in the early morning. Originally scheduled to be played at the Cary Tennis Park, the two teams switched to the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Tennis Center in Chapel Hill for the match.

Duke will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Virginia and Florida State on Saturday at 10 a.m. The match is scheduled to take place at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

Senior Reka Zsilinszka Talks About Clinching Quarterfinal Victory

Tennis Match Results
N.C. State vs Duke
Apr. 22, 2011 at Chapel Hill, N.C.

#3 Duke 4, #28 N.C. State 3

Doubles
1. #18 Sanaa Bhambri/Sandhya Nagaraj (NCSU) def. #50 Kahan/Nze (Duke) 8-5
2. Lenka Hojckova/Tatiana Illova (NCSU) def. #51 Fahoum/Mar (Duke) 8-1
3. Clayton/Gorny (Duke) vs. Joelle Kissell/Ashley Miller (NCSU) 6-5, unfinished

Singles
1. #31 Sanaa Bhambri (NCSU) def. #36 Nadine Fahoum (Duke) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
2. #94 Sandhya Nagaraj (NCSU) def. #88 Ellah Nze (Duke) 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
3. #18 Reka Zsilinszka (Duke) def. Tatiana Illova (NCSU) 6-1, 6-7, 6-3
4. #63 Elizabeth Plotkin (Duke) def. Joelle Kissell (NCSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. #82 Rachel Kahan (Duke) def. Lenka Hojckova (NCSU) 6-1, 6-2
6. #78 Mary Clayton (Duke) def. Christy Sipes (NCSU) 6-0, 6-1