No. 10 Duke Earns 4-0 Road Win Over No. 12 Virginia

Friday, April 1

Charlottesville, Va.

3:00 PM

Duke University

Virginia

No. 10 Duke Earns 4-0 Road Win Over No. 12 Virginia

4/1/2016 7:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score: Duke 4, Virginia 0

By: Duke Sports Information

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A venue change midway through singles action due to inclement weather did not slow the play of 10th-ranked Duke, as the Blue Devils defeated No. 12 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, 4-0. With the win, Duke moved to 14-3 on the season and 7-2 in ACC contests, while the Virginia loss dropped the Cavaliers to 11-8 overall and 5-4 against ACC opponents.

“We came out a little bit flat in doubles, which I was a bit disappointed about," head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “We talked about playing with passion. I think we did a good job of fighting back in doubles. The only thing we said was that we wanted them to play with passion. I think they were able to do that.”

The Blue Devils earned the doubles point to take a 1-0 advantage heading into singles after winning matches on courts two and three.

The tandem of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy led Duke off the doubles courts following a 6-3 victory over Cassie Mercer and Tori Olivarez at the No. 2 position. The Duke tandem fell behind early, 3-0, but Harris and McCarthy settled in and won six consecutive games to secure their 13th victory of the season. With the win, Harris and McCarthy also extended their win streak to seven matches.

Virginia pulled even with the Blue Devils after the 13th-ranked pair of senior Beatrice Capra and freshman Ellyse Hamlin fell to the 21st-ranked team of Danielle Collins and Meghan Kelley, 6-2. Capra and Hamlin dropped the first two games of the set before pulling within a game and bringing the score to 2-1. The Cavaliers once again won two straight games, extending their lead to three games. Although Capra and Hamlin would take an additional game, Collins and Kelley captured the final two games to earn the victory and move the Duke pair's record to 14-9 on the year.

With the matches split on courts one and two, the doubles point would be decided on court three in a contest between juniors Alyssa Smith and Chalena Scholl and Virginia's Erica Susi and Taylor Wingo. With the score tied at 2-2, a Duke hold and a break gave the Blue Devil tandem a 4-2 lead, but Susi and Wingo also won back-to-back games, tying the match at 4-4. Smith and Scholl recovered, claiming consecutive games to win the match, 6-4. The win improved Smith and Scholl's record to 12-5 on the year.

Midway through singles play, action was halted due to inclement weather, however the Blue Devils maintained focus, using the momentum gained while competing outdoors at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center to propel Duke to wins on three of the six courts to clinch the victory at the Boars Head Sports Club.

“I think we played aggressive,” Ashworth said. “I think we played a little more free. All week we talked about it being okay to miss. We wanted them to go after their shots and play loose. I think we were able to do that. When they do that and we're making shots, I think they got more confident.”

On court two, Scholl, the 92nd-ranked singles player in the country, posted her 18th victory of the year after cruising to a straight-set, 6-3, 6-1, win over Olivarez, giving Duke a 2-0 lead. Scholl never trailed in the contest, taking a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Olivarez won three straight games to tie the set, however Scholl captured three-straight games to secure the first set. In the second set, Scholl stormed out to a 5-0 lead before Olivarez won a game. Scholl successfully closed out the match by winning the final game. Scholl improved to 8-2 over her last 10 matches with the win.

Duke took a 3-0 advantage after Harris defeated Susi on court four, 6-3, 6-1. Harris held an early 2-1 lead before a two-game run by Susi put Harris in a 3-2 hole. Harris reestablished herself in the contest by taking four straight games and winning the first set. Similar to Scholl on court two, Harris' assertiveness in the second set allowed her to take a 5-0 lead that would prove insurmountable for Susi. The Melbourne, Australia, native's record moved to 15-5 on the season.

The match was clinched on court six, as freshman Jessica Ho defeated Wingo, 6-2, 6-3. With the score sitting at 3-2, Ho won four games in succession to take the first set. In the second set, Ho demonstrated her resilience, falling behind 2-0 before pulling the score even by winning two straight games. Although Wingo once again claimed the lead, Ho closed out the match by taking the final four games en route to her 13th singles win and the fourth ACC singles win of her career.

With the match clinched, the contests on courts one, three and five were suspended. Capra, the 28th-ranked singles player in the country, trailed fourth-ranked Collins, 6-2, 5-2, while 35th-ranked McCarthy led Kelley, 7-5, 3-1. Hamlin, ranked 78th in the latest poll, also held a 6-4, 3-3 advantage over Mercer on court five.

The Blue Devils resume competition Sunday, welcoming No. 44 Notre Dame to Durham for an 11 a.m. contest in Ambler Tennis Stadium.

#GoDuke

#10 Duke 4, #12 Virginia 0

Singles competition
1. #4 Danielle Collins (VA) vs. #28 Beatrice Capra (DU) 6-2, 5-2, unfinished
2. #92 Chalena Scholl (DU) def. Victoria Olivarez (VA) 6-3, 6-1
3. Meghan Kelley (VA) vs. #35 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 5-7, 1-3, unfinished
4. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Erica Susi (VA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Cassie Mercer (VA) vs. #78 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
6. Jessica Ho (DU) def. Taylor Wingo (VA) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. #21 Danielle Collins/Meghan Kelley (VA) def. #13 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 6-2
2. Kaitlyn McCarthy/Samantha Harris (DU) def. Cassie Mercer/Victoria Olivarez (VA) 6-3
3. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Erica Susi/Taylor Wingo (VA) 6-4