Duke Opens ACC Play with 6-1 Win Over Florida State

Friday, February 26

Durham, N.C.

5:00 PM

Duke University

Florida State

Duke Opens ACC Play with 6-1 Win Over Florida State

2/26/2016 9:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score: Duke 6, Florida State 1

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The ninth-ranked Duke women's tennis team opened ACC play Friday in strong fashion, defeating No. 43 Florida State, 6-1, at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham, N.C. The win over the Seminoles (7-3, 0-1) moved Duke (8-1, 1-0) to a perfect 5-0 when competing at home this season.

“I felt like we were at the beginning of a boxing match as they were feeling each other out,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “It was the first conference match for both of us, and I think there were a little bit of nerves on both sides. We didn't come out explosively. I think we were trying to just feel our way around.”

For the fourth consecutive match, the Blue Devils entered singles play with a 1-0 lead after Duke captured wins on two of the three courts.

“[Winning the doubles point] definitely helps set the tone,” junior Chalena Scholl said. “It keeps the energy high immediately, so it's really helpful to get the doubles point.”

The Duke tandem of Scholl and Alyssa Smith improved to 8-2 on the year after defeating Florida State's duo of Julia Mikulski and Gabby Castaneda, 6-2. Scholl and Smith jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Mikulski and Castaneda tied the match by winning back-to-back games. The Blue Devil pair would not surrender another game in the match however, en route to its sixth dual match win and first conference victory of the campaign.

The Blue Devils successfully secured the doubles point with a victory on court two, as the duo of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy defeated Florida State's Lana Rush and Ariana Rahmanparast, 6-4. Harris and McCarthy stormed out to a 3-1 lead before Rush and Rahmanparast tied the match at 3-3. After a break and a hold for the Blue Devils gave Harris and McCarthy a 5-3 lead, the Duke duo would drop just one additional game before closing out the match. Harris and McCarthy moved to 9-3 on the season with the win.

With the doubles point decided, action on court one between 17th-ranked Beatrice Capra and Ellyse Hamlin and Florida State's Daneika Borthwick and Yukako Noi remained unfinished, with the Duke team leading, 5-4.

Quick starts on five of the six singles courts helped Duke earn three straight-set victories that ultimately put the match out of reach for the Seminoles.

“We talked about [playing with more emotion] between the doubles and the singles,” Ashworth said. “Our decision making was good. Before the match, we talked about how we have what it takes to be a really good team, and we just have to let it out and play free. In the singles matches, I thought Chalena played great and played free. Sam's first set was one of the best sets anyone on our team has played all year.”

Scholl put a strong effort in on court three that led to her earning her 11th win of the season after she defeated Castaneda, 6-2, 6-0. The Pampano Beach, Fla., native trailed just once in the entire match, falling behind 1-0, before she won five straight games to take a 5-1 lead that she would maintain for the remainder of the contest. Scholl never dropped a game in the second set en route to her sixth career conference win.

“I just went in and treated it like any other match,” Scholl said. “We've had a lot of matches this season already, so I'm used to playing more matches, and that's been helpful. I try to play with my forehand a lot, so looking to take control of the point with my forehand was working well.”

On court five, 59th-ranked Hamlin pulled the Blue Devils within a point of the win after defeating Daniela Schippers, 6-3, 6-2. The match between the two opponents remained tight in the early stages before Hamlin, with the score sitting at 3-3, won the final three games to earn the first-set win. In the second set, Hamlin and Schippers once again proved evenly matched, with the score locked at 2-2. The Fairfield, Conn., native broke the tie and went on to win the final four games of the match to pick up her eighth victory of the year.

Capra, the 28th-ranked singles player in the country, quickly followed suit, defeating Noi on court one, 6-3, 6-1, to give Duke a win in its first conference match of the year. Capra remained in constant control throughout the course of the match, never trailing in either set. Capra set the tone early in the first set with a break and a hold that Noi was unable to recover from. In the second set, Capra took five straight games before dropping her only game of the set. Capra's record on the year moved to 7-3 with the result.

Although the team match was decided, the competitions on courts two, four and six were played out. Harris took her match over Mikulski, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, to advance her season record to 8-4, while freshman Jessica Ho also picked up a victory after downing Rahmanparast, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 on court six. Ho's overall record this year moved to 10-5, while her dual match mark now sits at 4-1. In the final match of the evening, McCarthy, the 28th-ranked singles player, was unable battle back from a first-set deficit, falling in just her fourth match of the season, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, to Borthwick.

The Blue Devils remain in Durham Sunday, facing 13th-ranked Miami in Ambler Tennis Stadium in a noon contest.

“We have to be mentally tough,” Ashworth said. “We have what it takes to be a good team and beat really good teams. Miami is a really good team, but we have to be focused and mentally tough, while not letting outside factors affect what is happening on the courts.”

#GoDuke

Singles competition
1. #26 Beatrice Capra (DU) def. Yukako Noi (FS) 6-3, 6-1
2. Daneika Borthwick (FS) def. #28 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
3. Chalena Scholl (DU) def. Gabby Castaneda (FS) 6-2, 6-0
4. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Julia Mikulski (FS) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
5. #59 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) def. Daniela Schippers (FS) 6-3, 6-2
6. Jessica Ho (DU) def. Ariana Rahmanparast (FS) 6-4, 0-6, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #17 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) vs. Daneika Borthwick/Yukako Noi (FS) 5-4, unfinished
2. Samantha Harris/Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) def. Lana Rush/Ariana Rahmanparast (FS) 6-4
3. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Julia Mikulski/Gabby Castaneda (FS) 6-2