Duke Falls on the Road to Georgia Tech, 4-3

Friday, April 15

Atlanta, Ga.

3:00 PM

Duke University

Georgia Tech

No. 7 Duke Welcomes No. 40 Texas to Durham Sunday

Duke Falls on the Road to Georgia Tech, 4-3

4/15/2016 8:47:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score: Georgia Tech 4, Duke 3

By: Duke Sports Information

ATLANTA, Ga. – The eighth-ranked Duke women's tennis team's late push in singles fell just short against No. 16 Georgia Tech Friday afternoon, as the Blue Devils suffered a 4-3 defeat at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta, Ga. The 4-3 loss marked the fourth consecutive meeting between the two programs that was decided by one point.

“I thought that we competed well,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “I thought that we battled back and gave ourselves some chances. I thought that we just missed shots. We gave away too many points, to be honest. That's something that we have to cut out, in a match like that. We can get away with it against some teams, but against a really good team like Georgia Tech, we can't get away with that.”

For the first time in six matches, the Blue Devils trailed heading into singles after Georgia Tech claimed the doubles point.

The Duke pair of freshmen Ellyse Hamlin and Jessica Ho led the Blue Devils off the doubles courts, cruising to a 6-2 victory over Megan Kurey and Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer at the No. 3 position. Hamlin and Ho seized control of the contest from the outset, claiming three of the first four games to take a 3-1 advantage. Although Kurey and Anton-Ohlmeyer pulled within a game, Hamlin and Ho won the remaining three games to close out the match. Hamlin and Ho improved to a perfect 4-0 on the year when competing as a doubles tandem.

“I think [Ellyse and Jessica]'s communication has gotten better,” Ashworth said. “Individually, they've had good doubles results. I think that they have had to adapt in order to be able to work together, and I think they're getting better the more they play together.”

Georgia Tech responded by winning the match on court two, as the Yellow Jacket duo of Rasheeda McAdoo and Johnnise Renaud posted a 6-4 victory over Duke's junior tandem of Chalena Scholl and Alyssa Smith. With the score tied 2-2, McAdoo and Renaud went on a three-game run, extending their lead to 5-2. The Blue Devils put in a valiant effort in the latter stages of the competition, winning two games to close the deficit, however their Yellow Jacket opponents won the final, decisive game to hand Scholl and Smith their eighth loss of the season.

The doubles point was ultimately decided on court one in an evenly contested matchup between Duke's pair of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy and Georgia Tech's 13th-ranked duo of Kendal Woodard and Paige Hourigan. After going down 3-2, the Duke team won three straight games to earn a 5-3 advantage and sit just one game shy of clinching the match. Woodard and Hourigan responded however, winning four consecutive games to take the match, 7-5, and bring Harris and McCarthy's doubles record to 16-4 this year.

The Blue Devils mounted a rally in singles action, claiming three of the first five matches to tie the team score, but with the result hanging in the balance, the Yellow Jackets picked up the win on court two to solidify the victory.

The Yellow Jackets took a 2-0 lead over Duke after Smith fell to Alexis Prokopuik, 6-0, 6-2, on court five. With the loss, Smith's record on the year fell to 9-7.

Harris, competing on court three for the sixth time this season, brought Duke within a point of Georgia Tech after outlasting McAdoo, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6). Harris caught an early rhythm in the first set. With the score tied at 1-1, the Melbourne, Australia, native won the next five games to claim the opening set. In the second set, Harris stormed out to a seemingly insurmountable 5-0 advantage, but McAdoo won six consecutive games to pull ahead. Remaining composed, Harris won the 12th game in the set to force a tiebreak. Although she went down 3-0, Harris settled in and closed out the match by winning the tiebreak, 8-6. With Friday's result, Harris extended her win streak to nine matches and improved to a career-best 11-1 in ACC play.

Redshirt freshman Christina Makarova helped tie the match at 2-2 for the Blue Devils after defeating Natasha Prokhnevska in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Makarova established herself in the first set with a 4-1 lead. Prokhnevska won a game, bringing the score to 4-2, but Makarova won two straight to secure the first set. In the second set, Makarova fell in a 4-2 hole that she was unable to work her way out of, bringing the two competitors to a third set. Makarova won the first two games of the final set, but a three-game run by Prokhnevska created a 3-2 deficit for the San Diego, Calif., native. Unfazed, Makarova went on to win three straight games, giving her the victory and improving her record to 10-4 on the season and 7-2 against ACC competition.

Georgia Tech once again claimed the lead after 124th-ranked Hamlin fell to Woodard on court four, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. Hamlin was unable to get her footing in the opening set, falling behind 3-0 and never earning a lead. Hamlin settled in during the second set, however. With the score tied at 2-2, the Fairfield, Conn., native won four straight games to force a third set. In the third set, Hamlin trailed 4-2, but she won three straight games to earn a 5-4 lead and sit one game shy of securing the win. Woodard used a late charge of her own, winning the next three games to conclude the contest and hand Hamlin her ninth loss of the year.

Scholl, the 97th-ranked singles player in the country, tied the match at 3-3 with a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 win over 34th-ranked Renaud on court one. In the first set, Scholl took a 4-1 lead, but Renaud won three straight games, tying the set at 4-4. Scholl calmly closed out the set by winning back-to-back games. In the second set, with the scoreboard reading 5-3, Scholl sat one game shy of winning the match, but Renaud once again came back and tied the set at 5-5. The two traded games, bringing the score to 6-6, before Renaud forced a third set by winning the tiebreak, 7-5. In the deciding set, Scholl showed true resilience. With the Pompano Beach, Fla., native down, 5-3, Scholl won four consecutive games to earn the impressive, come-from-behind victory. Scholl reached 20 wins with Friday's result and improved to 10-2 against conference opponents.

“[Chalena] did a good job of fighting back,” Ashworth said. “She saved four match points. I think that even when she was down, her energy level was really high. She was going to make her opponent earn it. Hopefully she takes some confidence from this match and keeps it going Sunday against a good Clemson team.”

The match was ultimately decided on court two, in a contest of two top-50 opponents, as No. 41 McCarthy and 49th-ranked Hourigan faced off. The match required three sets, with Hourigan emerging as the victor by a score of 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 6-2. Similar to many of her teammates, McCarthy showed her resilience in the first set. McCarthy held Hourigan off from taking the set with the score sitting at 5-3 by winning three of the next four games to force a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, McCarthy asserted herself to outlast Hourigan, 10-8. In the second set, McCarthy once again looked on the verge of making a late push, fighting back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the match at 5-5. Hourigan closed the set however, winning the final two games. In the third set, McCarthy was unable to gain an advantage, trailing from the first game. With the loss, McCarthy's record fell to 24-9 on the year.

“I was proud that we gave ourselves an opportunity, but at the same time, disappointed that we couldn't capitalize on those opportunities because of some free points and decision making,” Ashworth said.

Duke wraps up regular season action Sunday, traveling to Clemson, S.C., for a noon match with the Tigers.

#GoDuke

#16 Georgia Tech 4, #8 Duke 3

Singles competition
1. #97 Chalena Scholl (DU) def. #34 Johnnise Renaud (GT) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5
2. #49 Paige Hourigan (GT) def. #41 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 6-2
3. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Rasheeda McAdoo (GT) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
4. Kendal Woodard (GT) def. #124 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
5. Alexis Prokopuik (GT) def. Alyssa Smith (DU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Christina Makarova (DU) def. Natasha Prokhnevska (GT) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. #13 Kendal Woodard/Paige Hourigan (GT) def. Kaitlyn McCarthy/Samantha Harris (DU) 7-5
2. Rasheeda McAdoo/Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) 6-4
3. Ellyse Hamlin/Jessica Ho (DU) def. Megan Kurey/Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer (GT) 6-2

Match Notes:
Duke 17-5 (10-3); National ranking #8
Georgia Tech 16-6 (11-2); National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,3,6,4,1,2)
T-3:59