No. 8 Duke Falls at Home to No. 11 Michigan, 4-3

Wednesday, April 6

Durham, N.C.

1:00 PM

Duke University

Michigan

Duke Back Home for Two Weekend ACC Matches

No. 8 Duke Falls at Home to No. 11 Michigan, 4-3

4/6/2016 6:50:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score: Michigan 4, Duke 3 Duke v. Michigan Photo Gallery

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The eighth-ranked Duke women's tennis team took a 3-0 lead, but a late push in singles by 11th-ranked Michigan proved to be the deciding factor as the Blue Devils fell to the Wolverines, 4-3, in Durham, N.C., Wednesday afternoon. The loss dropped Duke's record to 15-4 on the year and 8-2 when competing at home, while Michigan improved to 13-4 on the season.

“Michigan's a very good team,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “I think we let off the gas a little bit after we were up 3-0. I think some people thought others would take care of it, and they wouldn't have to. We can't afford to do that. Michigan fought back and competed really well. We have to figure out a way to be better in pressure situations. We lost a ton of deuce points today. We have to be better when it comes down to one point.”

The Blue Devils entered singles action with a 1-0 lead for the third consecutive match after claiming the doubles point.

Michigan's duo of Ronit Yurovsky and Sara Remynse put Duke in an early hole after defeating juniors Alyssa Smith and Chalena Scholl on court three, 6-4. Scholl and Smith won the first game before Yurovsky and Remynse won three straight to take a 3-1 lead. The Duke tandem responded by winning back-to-back games. The two teams would trade games, bringing the score to 4-4, before Yurovsky and Remynse secured the victory by winning the final two games. With the loss, Scholl and Smith's record fell to 13-6 when competing as a doubles pair.

The 72nd-ranked tandem of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy pulled Duke even with Michigan in doubles after the duo dropped Mira Ruder-Hook and Alex Najarian, 6-3, on court two. The Blue Devils led from the outset, taking an early 3-1 lead that they would not surrender. Although Ruder-Hook and Najarian won a game, cutting into their deficit, the Duke duo won three of the next five games to conclude the match. Harris and McCarthy extended their win streak to nine matches with the result and improved to 15-3 on the year.

With results on courts two and three split, the doubles point was decided on court one, in a tightly contested match between Duke's 19th-ranked pair of senior Beatrice Capra and freshman Ellyse Hamlin and Michigan's 54th-ranked duo of Kate Fahey and Brienne Minor. The two teams proved evenly matched, but a few well-placed winners for the Blue Devils served as the pivotal factor, as Duke won, 7-6 (7-5). The score stood tied at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3, before a two-game run provided Duke with an advantage. Fahey and Minor responded by winning two straight games as well, once again tying the match. With the scored knotted at 5-5, the two tandems traded games, forcing a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, neither team was able to pull clear of the other, but with the score tied, 5-5, Capra and Hamlin dug deep and took the final two games to secure the win and the doubles point. The victory moved Capra and Hamlin's record to 15-9 this season.

In singles action, the Blue Devils appeared in control, winning two matches in straight sets and taking first sets on three of the four remaining courts, but the Wolverines battled back and claimed four singles wins to secure the four points necessary for the team victory.

Harris, as she has done throughout the season, cruised on court four, winning her contest against Ruder-Hook, 6-0, 6-1. After not dropping a game in the first set, Harris took a 5-0 lead in the second before losing her lone game of the match. Harris successfully closed out the match, improving her record to 16-5 on the season and extending her win streak to six matches.

The Blue Devils moved within a point of the win after freshman Jessica Ho earned an impressive 6-2, 6-1 win over Remynse on court six. Ho, a near-perfect 4-1 when playing on court six this season, sat tied with Remynse, 1-1, in the first set before she used a three-game run to take a 4-1 lead. Ho would concede one additional game to Remynse before winning back-to-back games en route to finishing the set. In the second set, Ho won two of the first three games to earn a lead that she would maintain throughout the remainder of the set. With the scoreboard reading 2-1, Ho won the final four games to earn her 14th victory of the season.

After falling behind 3-0, the Wolverines put in a late surge to tie the match at 3-3.

The charge began with a victory on court two, as McCarthy, the 43rd-ranked singles player in the country, fell to No. 18 Minor, 7-5, 6-2. McCarthy stormed out to a 4-2 lead before Minor won a set of games to tie the score at 4-4. After each competitor won a game, tying the first set at 5-5, Minor took the final two games to earn the first-set victory. In the second set, McCarthy trailed 4-0 and was unable to overcome the deficit, as Minor won two of the final four games to hand McCarthy just her seventh loss of the season.

Michigan picked up its second point of the match with 74th-ranked Fahey's win over Duke's 67th-ranked Scholl on court three. Scholl remained in control during the first set. With the score tied at two-all, Scholl won four straight to take a one-set advantage. Fahey responded in the second set, not dropping a game to Scholl. In the third, deciding set, Scholl led 3-1. Fahey won the next three games, claiming the lead, before Scholl once again tied the final set. With the score knotted at 4-4, Scholl and Fahey traded games, but with the score tied at 5-5, Fahey won the final two games to register the win. Scholl dropped to 19-8 on the season with the result.

The team score was tied following redshirt freshman Christina Makarova's match on court five against Najarian, where the San Diego, Calif., native fell, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2. The score stood tied on three separate occasions through the first six games before Najarian won back-to-back games to pull ahead, 5-3. Makarova responded in suit, winning two games herself to tie the set at 5-5. After exchanging games, the two competitors squared off in a tiebreak, where Makarova battled back from a 5-1 deficit to win the tiebreak, 8-6, and take the first set. Makarova was unable to maintain the momentum however, as she never led in either of the final two sets. Wednesday's result moved Makarova's record to 7-5.

With the team score tied at 3-3, the match would be decided on court one, in a top-30 matchup between No. 25 Capra and No. 16 Yurovsky. In a hard-fought contest, Yurovsky left the victor as Capra fell, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. With the first set tied at 2-2, Capra used a three-game run to earn a 5-2 lead that Yurovsky was unable to overcome. In the second set, Capra led 4-2, but Yurovsky fought back to tie the score at 4-4. Both Capra and Yurovsky each won two games apiece, tying the score and forcing a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Capra fell behind, 6-3, and although she won an additional point, Yurovsky won the final point necessary to earn the second-set win. In the final set, Capra and Yurovsky remained tied at 3-3, but Yurovsky won the last three games needed to earn the team victory and conclude the contest.

“That was a tough, physical match for her,” Ashworth said. “The points were really long and she had to move a lot. She gave herself opportunities, and that's all you can ask for. Every point she won, she had to earn. It was two really good players that the match came down to.”

Duke remains in Durham for a home match against 55th-ranked Boston College Saturday. The contest is scheduled to begin at noon in Ambler Tennis Stadium.

#GoDuke

#11 Michigan 4, #8 Duke 3

Singles competition
1. #16 Ronit Yurovsky (MICH) def. #25 Beatrice Capra (DU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
2. #18 Brienne Minor (MICH) def. #43 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 7-5, 6-2
3. #74 Kate Fahey (MICH) def. #67 Chalena Scholl (DU) 2-6, 6-0, 7-5
4. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH) 6-0, 6-1
5. Alex Najarian (MICH) def. Christina Makarova (DU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2
6. Jessica Ho (DU) def. Sara Remynse (MICH) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. #19 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) def. #54 Kate Fahey/Brienne Minor (MICH) 7-6 (7-5)
2. #72 Kaitlyn McCarthy/Samantha Harris (DU) def. Mira Ruder-Hook/Alex Najarian (MICH) 6-3
3. Ronit Yurovsky/Sara Remynse (MICH) def. Alyssa Smith/Chalena Scholl (DU) 6-4