Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis at Kitty Harrison Invitational on September 12, 2025
Women's Tennis
at Kitty Harrison Invitational
Saturday, May 14
Durham, N.C.
12:00 PM
Duke University
2
vs
4
Texas (Second Round)
Duke Falls to Texas, 4-2, in NCAA Tournament
5/14/2016 5:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C. – The ninth-ranked Duke women's tennis team took an early lead against No. 24 Texas Saturday afternoon in Durham, N.C., but was unable to maintain the momentum, as the Blue Devils fell to the Longhorns, 4-2, in the second round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships. With Saturday's result, Duke's all-time record in NCAA Tournament matches moves to 62-27 and 51-19 under head coach Jamie Ashworth. The Blue Devils end the 2016 season with an overall record of 19-7.
“Texas competed well,” Ashworth said. “Texas did a good job of fighting and staying in it, while not allowing the situation to get to them. They never quit. I was hoping we could get a couple of quick [singles wins], and we weren't able to do that. We played good doubles, but [Texas] played the bigger points when we were up.”
For the 19th match this season, the Blue Devils owned a 1-0 lead after doubles play, picking up victories on courts two and three.
Texas jumped out in doubles after the Longhorn duo and 16th-ranked pair of Breaunna Addison and Danielle Wagland defeated Duke's 74th-ranked tandem of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy, 6-2, on court one. Harris and McCarthy were unable to get into a rhythm in the contest, as Addison and Wagland won the first three games of the match. Although the Blue Devils won a game to cut into the deficit, Addison and Wagland would go on to win three of the next four games. The result moved McCarthy and Harris' record as a doubles team to 18-5 on the season.
On court two, the Duke pair of juniors Chalena Scholl and Alyssa Smith downed Chelsea Crovetti and Neda Koprcina, 6-3. The two teams split games through the first four games before a Scholl and Smith sequence of hold-break-hold allowed them to take a 5-2 lead. Crovetti and Koprcina won one additional game before Scholl and Smith successfully closed out to earn their 16th victory of the season and their second win at the No. 2 position.
The doubles point would ultimately be decided in a thrilling contest on court three between Duke's freshman pair of Jessica Ho and Ellyse Hamlin and Texas' team of Daniella Roldan and Katie Poluta. The match proved to be a back-and-forth affair, as the two sets of competitors were tied six times throughout the contest. With the score sitting at 3-2 in Texas' favor, Hamlin and Ho won back-to-back games to claim a 4-3 advantage, but a hold and a break by Roldan and Poluta swung the momentum of the match and provided the Longhorns with a 5-4 lead. A number of late, timely breaks for the Blue Devils did not allow the Longhorns to pull away however, eventually forcing a tiebreak with the score tied at 6-6. In the tiebreak, Ho and Hamlin fell behind early, 2-0. Unfazed, the Duke pair won three straight points to earn a 3-2 lead. Although Roldan and Poluta would win a point to knot the tiebreak score at 3-3, Hamlin and Ho would win four of the final five points to successfully claim the doubles point and improve to 6-1 on the season.
Although the Blue Devils led by a point after coming out of the break between doubles and singles, Texas used strong play across a number of the singles courts to pull ahead of Duke and eventually earn the victory.
For the second consecutive day, Ho led the Blue Devils off the courts, picking up a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Roldan on court five. Ho cruised in the opening set, taking five of the first six games before drawing the set to a close. The second set proved more evenly contested, as the score stood tied at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4, before Ho took the match by winning the final two games. Ho's impressive freshman campaign came to a close on an eight-match win streak, with the Wexford, Pa., native holding an overall singles record of 19-6.
Texas cut Duke's lead to one following a 6-3, 6-2 win by Wagland over 55th-ranked McCarthy on court three. McCarthy opened play by winning three straight games and establishing a 3-0 lead over Wagland. McCarthy's Longhorn opponent responded by winning six straight games to register a one-set lead. McCarthy was unable to reclaim the momentum from Wagland, as she trailed 4-1 in the second set. Although the Cary, N.C., native would pull within two games, Wagland captured the final two games to conclude the contest. McCarthy's record now sits at 24-12 on the year.
The match became tied after Hamlin suffered a 6-1, 6-4 setback to Poluta on court four. Hamlin trailed Poluta by a game in the early stages of the first set, but with the score at 2-1, Poluta won five straight games. Hamlin responded in the second set by winning two straight games, but Poluta stormed back by winning four games of her own. Hamlin brought the score within a game twice, at 4-3 and 5-4, but Poluta held off the late charge by Hamlin to secure the win. Hamlin wrapped up her freshman season at Duke with a 15-10 ledger.
The Longhorns pulled within a point of advancing after Makarova dropped her match against Lana Groenvynck on court six, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0. Makarova showcased her resilience in the first set. After falling behind, 4-0, the San Diego, Calif., native won five straight games to take a 5-4 lead. The two competitors would exchange games, leading to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Makarova and Groenvynck tied the score at 2-2, but Groenvynck strung together five consecutive points to take the set. Makarova was unable to get her footing in the second set, as Groenvynck did not surrender a game. Saturday's result moved Makarova's record to 10-7 on the season.
Texas secured the win on court two, in a match between 118th-ranked Harris and 122nd-ranked Koprcina. Harris put in a valiant effort, however Koprcina ultimately secured the win by a score of 7-5, 7-6 (7-0). In the first set, Harris posted a three-game lead, up 5-2 on Koprcina, before the Longhorn won five straight games to take the set, 7-5. In the second set, Harris once again maintained a late lead, as the scoreboard read 6-5. Koprcina held serve to force a tiebreak, where she won seven consecutive points. Harris concludes a stellar sophomore season that included the Melbourne, Australia, native posting an overall singles record of 22-6.
With the match decided, the contest on court one between 55th-ranked Scholl and 10th-ranked Addison remained unfinished, with the score suspended at 7-5, 4-6, 1-1.
Representatives from the Blue Devils are scheduled to compete in the singles and doubles portion of the NCAA Tournament, at the conclusion of the team competition. Action is set to begin Wednesday, May 25.
#GoDuke
#24 Texas 4, #9 Duke 2
Singles competition
1. #65 Chalena Scholl (DU) vs. #10 Breaunna Addison (UT) 7-5, 4-6, 1-1, unfinished
2. #122 Neda Koprcina (UT) def. #118 Samantha Harris (DU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-0)
3. Danielle Wagland (UT) def. #55 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Katie Poluta (UT) def. Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Jessica Ho (DU) def. Daniella Roldan (UT) 6-1, 6-4
6. Lana Groenvynck (UT) def. Christina Makarova (DU) 7-6 (7-2), 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #16 Breaunna Addison/Danielle Wagland (UT) def. #74 Kaitlyn McCarthy/Samantha Harris (DU) 6-2
2. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Chelsea Crovetti/Neda Koprcina (UT) 6-3
3. Jessica Ho/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) def. Daniella Roldan/Katie Poluta (UT) 7-6 (7-4)
Match Notes:
Texas 16-8; National ranking #24
Duke 19-7; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,4,6,2)
NCAA Tournament - Second Round
T-3:00 A-114
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Women's Tennis
PLAYER
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