Duke Drops NC State, 6-1, in Las Vegas

Friday, March 13

Las Vegas, Nev.

2:00 PM

Duke University

NC State

Duke Drops NC State, 6-1, in Las Vegas

3/13/2015 8:27:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Duke Sports Information

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The 20th-ranked Duke women's tennis team extended its winning streak to six matches Friday after upending NC State, 6-1, in Las Vegas, Nev. The victory served as the culmination of a four-match road stretch for the Blue Devils (10-5, 4-0).

“I don't think we played our best, and we definitely have to work on our play [over the four-match stretch], but in all of the matches, I thought we competed well,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “Mentally, we were tougher than our opponents. Today was another day where we had to be mentally tough. Mentally, we had to be tough in all four matches, from changing from indoors to outdoors, to coming out in Las Vegas with the heat.”

Duke led after doubles for the fifth straight match, with victories on courts one and two.

Senior Annie Mulholland and freshman Samantha Harris clinched the doubles point after upending NC State's duo of Sophie Nelson and Nicole Martinez, 8-4. The Duke pair moved to 12-3 on the season with the win, a team best.

Prior to Mulholland and Harris securing the doubles point, senior Ester Goldfeld and sophomore Alyssa Smith dropped NC State's tandem of Elisha Hande and Joanna Nalborska, 8-4. With the win, Goldfeld and Smith sit at 9-8, including a 3-1 record when playing at the No. 2 position.

Duke never trailed in the contest following doubles, winning on five of the six singles courts.

Mulholland led Duke off the courts with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 rout of Nelson at the No. 5 position. The Portland, Ore., native is currently on a five-match win streak, which dates back to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Georgina Sellyn of Vanderbilt Feb. 7.

Goldfeld, the 51st-ranked singles player, followed Mulholland, giving Duke a 3-0 lead after the Brooklyn, N.Y., native dropped Fieldsend, 6-2, 6-4 on court two. Similar to Mulholland, Goldfeld is also on a five-match winning streak. Goldfeld is also one match away from reaching the 100-win mark for her career.

NC State pulled within two points of Duke in the team score after sophomore Chalena Scholl retired in her match on court six against Stenta, with the contest sitting at 6-4, 3-1, but Capra, facing 104th-ranked Nalborska on court one, put the match out of reach with a 6-1, 7-6 result. Capra's 5-3 record on court one leads Duke this season.

Although the match was decided, Harris, the 106th-ranked singles player, and 105th-ranked Rachel Kahan, finished out their respective matches on courts three and four. Harris defeated Hande, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, while Kahan outlasted her opponent, Martinez, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Harris owns the second most wins on this year's team, improving to 16-5, while Kahan moved to 13-12.

Duke returns to Durham for a three-match homestand, beginning with Virginia Sunday, March 22. The match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

“We're looking forward to the familiarity with the facility and trust that we're going to have a good crowd, as we always do for ACC matches,” Ashworth said. “We know we'll have a good group following us, and that makes a difference. Having a boisterous crowd is something we're definitely looking forward to.”

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