Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis versus NCAA Singles & Doubles Championship on November 18, 2025
Women's Tennis
vs NCAA Singles & Doubles Championship
Friday, January 17
Durham, N.C.
6:00 PM
Duke University
vs
Pepperdine
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 11 Blue Devils Welcome No. 10 Pepperdine Friday for Top 15 Matchup
1/16/2025 10:58:00 AM | Women's Tennis
#10 Pepperdine (0-0) at #11 Duke (1-0)
Friday, Jan. 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Durham, N.C. * Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
Live Scoring l Watch l Digital Program
DURHAM, N.C. – On Friday, Jan. 17, fans will be treated to a top 15 clash in NCAA women's tennis as the 11th-ranked Duke women's tennis team hosts 10th-ranked Pepperdine inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham. The contest will feature a first serve at 6 p.m.
Admission is free and parking will be available in the blue zone lot adjacent to the tennis center.
The Series with Pepperdine
Duke and Pepperdine will meet for the 14th time in program history with the Blue Devils leading the series by an 8-5 ledger. The Blue Devils feature a four-match winning streak with the last meeting coming on Feb. 7, 2020.
It will mark the first meeting between the two programs in Durham and only the second contest at a home/away site.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine will open the 2025 regular season Friday against the Blue Devils. The Waves were preseason picked to win the West Coast Conference (WCC), while Savannah Broadus and Vivian Yang were honored with preseason WCC All-Conference recognition.
Coming off a 21-7 record a season ago and a trip to the NCAA Final Four, Pepperdine features a young roster in 2025 with six freshmen, one senior and a sophomore.
Pepperdine features five ranked singles players – Savannah Broadus (13), Vivian Yang (61), Liam Oved (90), Duru Soke (91), Alexia Harmon (112). The Waves also have Broadus/Yang (14) and Oved/Harmon (101) ranked in doubles.
Duke Versus the West Coast Conference (WCC)
The Blue Devils own an 8-1 record versus West Coast Conference opponents – Pepperdine (8-5). Portland (1-0) and Gonzaga (1-0). Duke is on a 6-match win streak against the conference.
Blue Devils Versus Top 10 Opponents
Duke hosts a top 10 opponent inside Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on Friday for the 12th time since the building was opened in 2000. The Blue Devils are 7-4 overall and have won four-straight against top 10 opponents inside Sheffield.
Overall, at home Duke features a 22-9 ledger against top 10 opponents, while head coach Jamie Ashworth has totaled 73 wins all-time versus top 10 foes.
What is Next
The Blue Devils will next host Virginia Tech and NCCU on Monday, Jan. 20 in a doubleheader. Duke faces Virginia Tech in the ACC opener for both teams at 9 a.m., followed by a non-conference contest against NCCU at 6 p.m. Both matches will be played inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
ITA Rankings
Duke has been preseason ranked No. 11 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Blue Devils received one first-place vote and were one of five teams that received first-place votes – Georgia (3), Texas A&M (7), Stanford (1) and Oklahoma State (1). Georgia was ranked No. 1 followed by Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma State, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pepperdine and Duke in the top 11.
A total of eight ACC teams were ranked – Stanford (3), North Carolina (6), Virginia (9), Duke (11), California (13), NC State (14), Miami (23) and Florida State (24).
In the final fall singles rankings, Duke boasted four ranked student-athletes in singles -- Emma Jackson (25), Eleana Yu (30), Irina Balus (36) and Shavit Kimchi (49) – along with two ranked doubles teams – Ellie Coleman and Balus (10) along with Jackson and Yu (71).
New Additions, Big Impact
The Blue Devils brought in three newcomers in the fall and all three have made a big impact on the success of the squad. Irina Balus (7-2), Eleana Yu (7-3) and Ava Krug (5-2) combined to total a 19-7 singles ledger and 16-7 doubles mark. Both Balus and Krug are freshmen, while Yu is a sophomore after spending the previous season at Stanford.
Ashworth Adds Liv Hovde for Spring
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Hovde is a former No. 1 recruit nationally, while featuring an Intercollegiate Tennis Federation (ITF) career-high ranking of No. 3 and a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) career-high rankings of No. 245 in singles and No. 354 in doubles. Hovde also owns seven ITF titles.
Balus & Coleman Earn All-America Accolades
With the tandem of Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in Waco, Texas this past November, the Blue Devil duo earned All-America accolades.
Duke's doubles team of Balus and Coleman registered two wins during the championship, starting with a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) victory over 23rd-ranked Elza Tomase and Catherine Aulia of Tennessee. In the round of 16, Balus and Coleman posted a 7-5, 6-3 win against 20th-ranked Lily Fairclough and Grace Piper of Southern California. The Blue Devil run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney of Florida.
Balus and Coleman finished the fall with a 9-2 ledger. Their appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals was the first for Duke since 2018 and they were just the 11th doubles tandem in program history to reach the quarterfinals.
Balus became the seventh Blue Devil to earn NCAA Doubles All-America accolades – Karolina Berankova (2021), Kelly Chen (2018), Tory Zawacki (2004), Kelly McCain (2002), Karin Miller (1997) and Vanessa Webb (1996).
The Head Coach
Head coach Jamie Ashworth is in his 29th season with the Blue Devils and owns an impressive 613-158 ledger. Last season, Ashworth registered his 600th victory on Jan. 20 in a 4-2 win over Illinois. He accomplished this mark in only 747 matches becoming the quickest coach to 600 wins.
Quickest to 600 Wins – 747 games by Jamie Ashworth (Duke), 749 by Jeff Wallace (Georgia), 779 by Brian Kalbas (William & Mary/North Carolina), and 785 by Lin Loring (UC Santa Barbara/Indiana).
Ashworth became the seventh NCAA Division I coach to reach the 600-win ledger – Loring (846), Wallace (818), Kalbas (748), Jay Louderback (703), Geoff MacDonald (631), Gualberto Escudero (Pepperdine) and Ashworth (600).
Among the winningest coaches of all time, Ashworth ranks 11th with a 79.7 winning percentage, seventh with 613 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.7) and second for winningest active coaches by victories.
Big Sets for Little Hearts
The Duke men's and women's tennis programs announced a partnership with the Duke Children's Hospital Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center called Big Sets for Little Hearts this past fall.
Big Sets for Little Hearts pledges will be made based on the number of sets won by the men's and women's tennis programs. Last year, both tennis teams combined for 647 sets won.
If you are interested in supporting Blue Devil tennis' partnership with Duke Children's, you can pledge for each set won during the season or make a one-time donation. Pledges start at $0.10, $0.50, $1.00 and $2.50. Based on last year's results, the smallest pledged donation would be equal to $64.70. For more information or to donate, click here.
The Duke Children's Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center is the No. 2 ranked pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program in the United States for newborns and children with congenital and acquired heart disease. The Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center strives to improve their patients' outcomes and the quality of their lives.
Noting the Blue Devils
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Friday, Jan. 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Durham, N.C. * Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
Live Scoring l Watch l Digital Program
DURHAM, N.C. – On Friday, Jan. 17, fans will be treated to a top 15 clash in NCAA women's tennis as the 11th-ranked Duke women's tennis team hosts 10th-ranked Pepperdine inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham. The contest will feature a first serve at 6 p.m.
Admission is free and parking will be available in the blue zone lot adjacent to the tennis center.
The Series with Pepperdine
Duke and Pepperdine will meet for the 14th time in program history with the Blue Devils leading the series by an 8-5 ledger. The Blue Devils feature a four-match winning streak with the last meeting coming on Feb. 7, 2020.
It will mark the first meeting between the two programs in Durham and only the second contest at a home/away site.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine will open the 2025 regular season Friday against the Blue Devils. The Waves were preseason picked to win the West Coast Conference (WCC), while Savannah Broadus and Vivian Yang were honored with preseason WCC All-Conference recognition.
Coming off a 21-7 record a season ago and a trip to the NCAA Final Four, Pepperdine features a young roster in 2025 with six freshmen, one senior and a sophomore.
Pepperdine features five ranked singles players – Savannah Broadus (13), Vivian Yang (61), Liam Oved (90), Duru Soke (91), Alexia Harmon (112). The Waves also have Broadus/Yang (14) and Oved/Harmon (101) ranked in doubles.
Duke Versus the West Coast Conference (WCC)
The Blue Devils own an 8-1 record versus West Coast Conference opponents – Pepperdine (8-5). Portland (1-0) and Gonzaga (1-0). Duke is on a 6-match win streak against the conference.
Blue Devils Versus Top 10 Opponents
Duke hosts a top 10 opponent inside Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on Friday for the 12th time since the building was opened in 2000. The Blue Devils are 7-4 overall and have won four-straight against top 10 opponents inside Sheffield.
Overall, at home Duke features a 22-9 ledger against top 10 opponents, while head coach Jamie Ashworth has totaled 73 wins all-time versus top 10 foes.
What is Next
The Blue Devils will next host Virginia Tech and NCCU on Monday, Jan. 20 in a doubleheader. Duke faces Virginia Tech in the ACC opener for both teams at 9 a.m., followed by a non-conference contest against NCCU at 6 p.m. Both matches will be played inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
ITA Rankings
Duke has been preseason ranked No. 11 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Blue Devils received one first-place vote and were one of five teams that received first-place votes – Georgia (3), Texas A&M (7), Stanford (1) and Oklahoma State (1). Georgia was ranked No. 1 followed by Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma State, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pepperdine and Duke in the top 11.
A total of eight ACC teams were ranked – Stanford (3), North Carolina (6), Virginia (9), Duke (11), California (13), NC State (14), Miami (23) and Florida State (24).
In the final fall singles rankings, Duke boasted four ranked student-athletes in singles -- Emma Jackson (25), Eleana Yu (30), Irina Balus (36) and Shavit Kimchi (49) – along with two ranked doubles teams – Ellie Coleman and Balus (10) along with Jackson and Yu (71).
New Additions, Big Impact
The Blue Devils brought in three newcomers in the fall and all three have made a big impact on the success of the squad. Irina Balus (7-2), Eleana Yu (7-3) and Ava Krug (5-2) combined to total a 19-7 singles ledger and 16-7 doubles mark. Both Balus and Krug are freshmen, while Yu is a sophomore after spending the previous season at Stanford.
Ashworth Adds Liv Hovde for Spring
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Hovde is a former No. 1 recruit nationally, while featuring an Intercollegiate Tennis Federation (ITF) career-high ranking of No. 3 and a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) career-high rankings of No. 245 in singles and No. 354 in doubles. Hovde also owns seven ITF titles.
Balus & Coleman Earn All-America Accolades
With the tandem of Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in Waco, Texas this past November, the Blue Devil duo earned All-America accolades.
Duke's doubles team of Balus and Coleman registered two wins during the championship, starting with a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) victory over 23rd-ranked Elza Tomase and Catherine Aulia of Tennessee. In the round of 16, Balus and Coleman posted a 7-5, 6-3 win against 20th-ranked Lily Fairclough and Grace Piper of Southern California. The Blue Devil run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney of Florida.
Balus and Coleman finished the fall with a 9-2 ledger. Their appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals was the first for Duke since 2018 and they were just the 11th doubles tandem in program history to reach the quarterfinals.
Balus became the seventh Blue Devil to earn NCAA Doubles All-America accolades – Karolina Berankova (2021), Kelly Chen (2018), Tory Zawacki (2004), Kelly McCain (2002), Karin Miller (1997) and Vanessa Webb (1996).
The Head Coach
Head coach Jamie Ashworth is in his 29th season with the Blue Devils and owns an impressive 613-158 ledger. Last season, Ashworth registered his 600th victory on Jan. 20 in a 4-2 win over Illinois. He accomplished this mark in only 747 matches becoming the quickest coach to 600 wins.
Quickest to 600 Wins – 747 games by Jamie Ashworth (Duke), 749 by Jeff Wallace (Georgia), 779 by Brian Kalbas (William & Mary/North Carolina), and 785 by Lin Loring (UC Santa Barbara/Indiana).
Ashworth became the seventh NCAA Division I coach to reach the 600-win ledger – Loring (846), Wallace (818), Kalbas (748), Jay Louderback (703), Geoff MacDonald (631), Gualberto Escudero (Pepperdine) and Ashworth (600).
Among the winningest coaches of all time, Ashworth ranks 11th with a 79.7 winning percentage, seventh with 613 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.7) and second for winningest active coaches by victories.
Big Sets for Little Hearts
The Duke men's and women's tennis programs announced a partnership with the Duke Children's Hospital Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center called Big Sets for Little Hearts this past fall.
Big Sets for Little Hearts pledges will be made based on the number of sets won by the men's and women's tennis programs. Last year, both tennis teams combined for 647 sets won.
If you are interested in supporting Blue Devil tennis' partnership with Duke Children's, you can pledge for each set won during the season or make a one-time donation. Pledges start at $0.10, $0.50, $1.00 and $2.50. Based on last year's results, the smallest pledged donation would be equal to $64.70. For more information or to donate, click here.
The Duke Children's Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center is the No. 2 ranked pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program in the United States for newborns and children with congenital and acquired heart disease. The Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center strives to improve their patients' outcomes and the quality of their lives.
Noting the Blue Devils
- Duke freshman Ava Krug will have a couple of familiar faces around Durham this season as her brothers, Jake and Connor, are seniors on the Blue Devil men's tennis team.
- The Blue Devils have won 59 out of the last 60 matches when winning the doubles point. Duke had won 47 in a row, before a defeat in the NCAA Tournament second round last season to UCLA.
- Duke has featured a stellar home court advantage over the years and have boasted a 108-5 ledger over the last 18 years. Since opening the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, the Blue Devils have posted a 139-9 record over 25 years.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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Jamie Ashworth Post Match vs. FAU
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