Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis at Kitty Harrison Invitational on September 12, 2025
Women's Tennis
at Kitty Harrison Invitational
Thursday, May 15
Waco, Texas
11 a.m.
Duke University
vs
Georgia
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Women’s Tennis Faces No. 1 Georgia Thursday in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/14/2025 6:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
#8 Duke (24-3) vs. #1 Georgia (26-3)
Thursday, May 15 at 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Hurt Tennis Center l Waco, Texas
Live Scoring l Watch on ESPN+ l Tickets l Bracket l Digital Program
WACO, Texas – The eighth-seeded Duke women's tennis team continues its run at the NCAA Championship with a quarterfinal matchup Thursday, May 14 against top-seeded Georgia at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco. The match will start at 11 a.m. (ET) and broadcast live on ESPN+.
Eighth-ranked Duke is making its 23rd appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship and features a 24-3 overall record. Top-ranked Georgia enters the match with a 26-3 overall ledger, while earning the No. 1 seed.
Tickets for the NCAA DI Men's and Women's Tennis Championship are on sale through the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office here. Daily general admission tickets are sold for $20 and an All-Session Pass starts at $75.
Duke in the NCAA Championship
In 36 appearances, the Blue Devils have tallied an 84-34 record for a 71.2 winning percentage, advanced to the NCAA Semifinals 11 different times and won the 2009 NCAA Championship. Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth has guided the Blue Devils into the NCAA Tournament each of his 29 seasons at Duke, including nine semifinal trips and the 2009 title. The Blue Devils have advanced to the NCAA semifinals in three out of the last six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Ashworth owns a record of 72-26 (.735) in the tournament over his tenure at the helm of the program.
Duke's 35-consecutive appearances currently ranks sixth among active streaks nationally – UCLA (43), Stanford (43), Georgia (38), Arizona State (37), Pepperdine (37) and Duke (35).
Over the last seven years, Duke has been a top-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament in five of those seasons (2025 – No. 8, 2023 – No. 6, 2022 – No. 3, 2019 – No. 5, 2018 – No. 3).
The Blue Devils hosted a NCAA Super Regional (Round of 16) for the third time in program history in Durham. The other years were 2019 and 2022 with Duke winning both of those matches.
In the round of 16, Duke has appeared in 29 matches holding a 23-7 record. The Blue Devils' 29 appearances in the round of 16 ranks tied for seventh nationally – Stanford (42), UCLA (39), Florida (37), California (37), Georgia (35), Southern California (30), Duke (29), Texas (29), Miami (25) and Pepperdine (23).
Duke's 23 quarterfinal appearances ranks fifth nationally – Stanford (39), Florida (30), Georgia (30), UCLA (27), Duke (23), California (22) and Southern California (16). In the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Blue Devils feature an 11-11 record.
In NCAA Tournament action, Emma Jackson (5-2), Ellie Coleman (3-3), Shavit Kimchi (2-0), Ava Krug (1-0), Katie Codd (1-0) and Eleana Yu (2-0) have singles records, while Jackson (6-1), Coleman (3-3), Kimchi (4-1), Yu (2-0), Krug (1-0) and Liv Hovde (3-0) have doubles ledgers.
A Look at the Blue Devils
Duke enters the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 24-3 overall record and has won 19 out of its last 20 matches. The Blue Devils were seeded No. 8 overall in the NCAA Championship.
On the year, Duke has won the doubles point in 21 of the 27 matches, including nine out of the last 10.
Blue Devil seniors Emma Jackson (27-11) and Ellie Coleman (26-6) have led Duke on the season in singles, while also totaling 26 and 24 doubles wins, respectively.
The Series with Georgia
The Blue Devils and Bulldogs will meet for the 32nd time in series history and the ninth time in NCAA Tournament action. In the overall series, Georgia leads with a 16-15 ledger, but Duke has won three out of the last four meetings.
The teams last met in the NCAAs on May 13, 2022 in the round of 16 with Duke collecting a 4-1 victory.
Scouting Georgia
Georgia owns a 26-3 record on the season and are currently on a six-game winning streak. The Bulldogs feature four ranked singles players – Darja Vidmanova (2), Anastasiia Lopata (17), Aysegul Mert (42) and Guillermina Grant (74). In doubles play, Vidmanova and Mell Reasco (1) and Grant/Lopaa (68) are listed.
Duke Versus the SEC
The Blue Devils hold a 59-41 record against the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Earlier this season, Duke defeated South Carolina, 4-1, in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville, Va., and then knocked off Auburn in the NCAA Round of 16 with a 4-2 victory.
Duke Against No. 1 Ranked Teams
Duke will face a No. 1 ranked team for the 17th time in Blue Devil history. The Blue Devils own a 4-12 record against those teams, but have won two out of the last three. Duke and Georgia have met once when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 with Georgia winning 4-2 in 2018-19.
All-ACC Honors
A trio of Duke women's tennis student-athletes – Irina Balus, Liv Hovde and Ellie Coleman – earned All-ACC recognition as the league announced All-ACC teams in both singles and doubles, following a vote of the head coaches.
Balus and Hovde, both Blue Devil rookies, were tabbed to the singles second and third teams, respectively. The 18th-ranked doubles team of Balus and Coleman were voted to the second team.
Duke Claims ACC Regular Season Title
Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth guided the Blue Devils to the 22nd ACC regular season title in program history and his 13th during his tenure at Duke. Eight of his 13 titles have been undefeated campaigns.
The Blue Devils brought home the regular season championship for the first time since 2018 and totaled their first undefeated regular season since 2012.
Other seasons the Blue Devils have won the ACC regular season titles include – 2018, 2017, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2006, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1988. Duke featured undefeated ACC regular seasons in 2012, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990 and 1988.
What is Next
If the Blue Devils win Thursday, Duke advances to the NCAA Tournament semifinals to face the winner of the North Carolina/LSU contest. It would mark the 13th appearance in the NCAA Final Four for Duke. The semifinals will be contested May 17 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas at 11 a.m. (ET).
Jackson Having Career-Best Season
Duke senior Emma Jackson is having her best individual season in 2024-25 as she closes out her four-year career with the Blue Devils. She has totaled a career-best 27 singles wins, career-high eight ACC victories, 26 doubles wins and a career-high eight ACC doubles victories. Jackson has 163 career combined singles and doubles victories.
In the Duke Record Book
Duke is moving up in the season and career record charts during the year.
Season Record Book
Career Record Book
Dynamic Senior Duo
Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson have turned in impressive final seasons for the Blue Devils as they have combined for 53 singles wins, 33 dual match singles victories, 18 ACC singles and doubles wins, 50 doubles victories and 35 dual match doubles wins.
Over their career, Jackson and Coleman have combined for a staggering 172 singles wins, 104 dual match singles victories, 52 ACC singles wins, 154 doubles victories, 95 dual match doubles wins and 41 ACC doubles victories.
Coleman and Jackson became the 32nd and 33rd student-athletes in Duke history to register three 20-win singles seasons. Coleman also is just the 34th Blue Devil with multiple 20-win doubles seasons and 27th Duke player with multiple 20-20 seasons (20 wins in both singles and doubles).
ITA Rankings
In the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, Duke remained in the top 10 nationally at No. 3. Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth has led the Blue Devils into the top 10 of the ITA rankings in 21 out of the last 23 years. In six out of the last eight years, Duke has now been ranked in the top-5 nationally at one point during the season. The Blue Devils have also been ranked in the top-5 20 times over the last 25 years.
In the latest singles rankings, Duke boasted five ranked student-athletes - Emma Jackson (25), Irina Balus (26), Liv Hovde (61), Eleana Yu (72), Shavit Kimchi (95) and Ellie Coleman (98) are all listed. Duke's doubles duo of Coleman and Balus are also ranked No. 20 nationally.
Earlier this spring, Balus became the eighth Blue Devil freshman to be ranked in the top 10 nationally and the first since Maria Mateas in 2019.
Ashworth Nets Another Milestone Win
Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth reached 250 ACC victories over his career with the win March 30 against SMU. He became the first ACC coach to reach 250 league wins over his career. Last year, he joined the 600-win club as well.
Match-Clinching Victories
Senior Emma Jackson has totaled five match-clinching wins so far this season and has moved her career total to 18 over her four seasons. She now ranks fourth on Duke's all-time record charts with her 18 match-clinching victories.
Ellie Coleman has totaled five match-clinching wins this season and now owns 14 match-clinching wins over her four years to rank tied for 11th at Duke.
Hovde Making Impact on Blue Devils
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season and she made her 2025 debut on the road at Boston College and Syracuse. Neither of her singles matches were finished, while she won one of her doubles contests in the opening weekend.
Hovde registered her first collegiate singles win at Clemson on March 9 and currently owns a 6-6 ledger on the year. She recently collected her first collegiate ranked win with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 15th-ranked Thea Rabman of North Carolina to help the Blue Devils to a 4-2 win against the fourth-ranked Tar Heels. Hovde was also named the ACC Freshman of the Week on April 8.
Duke has registered an 18-1 ledger with Hovde in the lineup.
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 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 freshman 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 636-161 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 79.8 winning percentage, seventh with 636 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.8) 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
#8 Duke (24-3) vs. #1 Georgia (26-3)
Thursday, May 15 at 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Hurt Tennis Center l Waco, Texas
Live Scoring l Watch on ESPN+ l Tickets l Bracket l Digital Program
WACO, Texas – The eighth-seeded Duke women's tennis team continues its run at the NCAA Championship with a quarterfinal matchup Thursday, May 14 against top-seeded Georgia at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco. The match will start at 11 a.m. (ET) and broadcast live on ESPN+.
Eighth-ranked Duke is making its 23rd appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship and features a 24-3 overall record. Top-ranked Georgia enters the match with a 26-3 overall ledger, while earning the No. 1 seed.
Tickets for the NCAA DI Men's and Women's Tennis Championship are on sale through the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office here. Daily general admission tickets are sold for $20 and an All-Session Pass starts at $75.
Duke in the NCAA Championship
In 36 appearances, the Blue Devils have tallied an 84-34 record for a 71.2 winning percentage, advanced to the NCAA Semifinals 11 different times and won the 2009 NCAA Championship. Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth has guided the Blue Devils into the NCAA Tournament each of his 29 seasons at Duke, including nine semifinal trips and the 2009 title. The Blue Devils have advanced to the NCAA semifinals in three out of the last six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Ashworth owns a record of 72-26 (.735) in the tournament over his tenure at the helm of the program.
Duke's 35-consecutive appearances currently ranks sixth among active streaks nationally – UCLA (43), Stanford (43), Georgia (38), Arizona State (37), Pepperdine (37) and Duke (35).
Over the last seven years, Duke has been a top-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament in five of those seasons (2025 – No. 8, 2023 – No. 6, 2022 – No. 3, 2019 – No. 5, 2018 – No. 3).
The Blue Devils hosted a NCAA Super Regional (Round of 16) for the third time in program history in Durham. The other years were 2019 and 2022 with Duke winning both of those matches.
In the round of 16, Duke has appeared in 29 matches holding a 23-7 record. The Blue Devils' 29 appearances in the round of 16 ranks tied for seventh nationally – Stanford (42), UCLA (39), Florida (37), California (37), Georgia (35), Southern California (30), Duke (29), Texas (29), Miami (25) and Pepperdine (23).
Duke's 23 quarterfinal appearances ranks fifth nationally – Stanford (39), Florida (30), Georgia (30), UCLA (27), Duke (23), California (22) and Southern California (16). In the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Blue Devils feature an 11-11 record.
In NCAA Tournament action, Emma Jackson (5-2), Ellie Coleman (3-3), Shavit Kimchi (2-0), Ava Krug (1-0), Katie Codd (1-0) and Eleana Yu (2-0) have singles records, while Jackson (6-1), Coleman (3-3), Kimchi (4-1), Yu (2-0), Krug (1-0) and Liv Hovde (3-0) have doubles ledgers.
A Look at the Blue Devils
Duke enters the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 24-3 overall record and has won 19 out of its last 20 matches. The Blue Devils were seeded No. 8 overall in the NCAA Championship.
On the year, Duke has won the doubles point in 21 of the 27 matches, including nine out of the last 10.
Blue Devil seniors Emma Jackson (27-11) and Ellie Coleman (26-6) have led Duke on the season in singles, while also totaling 26 and 24 doubles wins, respectively.
The Series with Georgia
The Blue Devils and Bulldogs will meet for the 32nd time in series history and the ninth time in NCAA Tournament action. In the overall series, Georgia leads with a 16-15 ledger, but Duke has won three out of the last four meetings.
The teams last met in the NCAAs on May 13, 2022 in the round of 16 with Duke collecting a 4-1 victory.
Scouting Georgia
Georgia owns a 26-3 record on the season and are currently on a six-game winning streak. The Bulldogs feature four ranked singles players – Darja Vidmanova (2), Anastasiia Lopata (17), Aysegul Mert (42) and Guillermina Grant (74). In doubles play, Vidmanova and Mell Reasco (1) and Grant/Lopaa (68) are listed.
Duke Versus the SEC
The Blue Devils hold a 59-41 record against the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Earlier this season, Duke defeated South Carolina, 4-1, in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville, Va., and then knocked off Auburn in the NCAA Round of 16 with a 4-2 victory.
Duke Against No. 1 Ranked Teams
Duke will face a No. 1 ranked team for the 17th time in Blue Devil history. The Blue Devils own a 4-12 record against those teams, but have won two out of the last three. Duke and Georgia have met once when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 with Georgia winning 4-2 in 2018-19.
All-ACC Honors
A trio of Duke women's tennis student-athletes – Irina Balus, Liv Hovde and Ellie Coleman – earned All-ACC recognition as the league announced All-ACC teams in both singles and doubles, following a vote of the head coaches.
Balus and Hovde, both Blue Devil rookies, were tabbed to the singles second and third teams, respectively. The 18th-ranked doubles team of Balus and Coleman were voted to the second team.
Duke Claims ACC Regular Season Title
Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth guided the Blue Devils to the 22nd ACC regular season title in program history and his 13th during his tenure at Duke. Eight of his 13 titles have been undefeated campaigns.
The Blue Devils brought home the regular season championship for the first time since 2018 and totaled their first undefeated regular season since 2012.
Other seasons the Blue Devils have won the ACC regular season titles include – 2018, 2017, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2006, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1988. Duke featured undefeated ACC regular seasons in 2012, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990 and 1988.
What is Next
If the Blue Devils win Thursday, Duke advances to the NCAA Tournament semifinals to face the winner of the North Carolina/LSU contest. It would mark the 13th appearance in the NCAA Final Four for Duke. The semifinals will be contested May 17 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas at 11 a.m. (ET).
Jackson Having Career-Best Season
Duke senior Emma Jackson is having her best individual season in 2024-25 as she closes out her four-year career with the Blue Devils. She has totaled a career-best 27 singles wins, career-high eight ACC victories, 26 doubles wins and a career-high eight ACC doubles victories. Jackson has 163 career combined singles and doubles victories.
In the Duke Record Book
Duke is moving up in the season and career record charts during the year.
Season Record Book
- The Blue Devils posted 14 home victories, which ranks as the tied for second-most in program history
- Ellie Coleman's 11 wins at No. 6 singles ranks tied for 15th
- Shavit Kimchi's 12 victories at No. 5 singles ranks tied for 13th
- Coleman became just the fifth Blue Devil to go undefeated in ACC singles action with 10 or more wins (10-0)
- Emma Jackson's 22 dual match doubles wins ranks tied for 11th
Career Record Book
- Coleman's 27 ACC singles wins ranks tied for 16th
- Jackson's 25 ACC singles wins ranks tied for 20th
- Jackson owns 27 singles wins at the No. 3 slot to rank fifth
- Coleman's 20 singles wins at No. 6 ranks tied for eighth
- Jackson has logged 18 match-clinching wins to ranked fourth, while Coleman's 14 match-clinching victories are tied for 11th
Dynamic Senior Duo
Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson have turned in impressive final seasons for the Blue Devils as they have combined for 53 singles wins, 33 dual match singles victories, 18 ACC singles and doubles wins, 50 doubles victories and 35 dual match doubles wins.
Over their career, Jackson and Coleman have combined for a staggering 172 singles wins, 104 dual match singles victories, 52 ACC singles wins, 154 doubles victories, 95 dual match doubles wins and 41 ACC doubles victories.
Coleman and Jackson became the 32nd and 33rd student-athletes in Duke history to register three 20-win singles seasons. Coleman also is just the 34th Blue Devil with multiple 20-win doubles seasons and 27th Duke player with multiple 20-20 seasons (20 wins in both singles and doubles).
ITA Rankings
In the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, Duke remained in the top 10 nationally at No. 3. Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth has led the Blue Devils into the top 10 of the ITA rankings in 21 out of the last 23 years. In six out of the last eight years, Duke has now been ranked in the top-5 nationally at one point during the season. The Blue Devils have also been ranked in the top-5 20 times over the last 25 years.
In the latest singles rankings, Duke boasted five ranked student-athletes - Emma Jackson (25), Irina Balus (26), Liv Hovde (61), Eleana Yu (72), Shavit Kimchi (95) and Ellie Coleman (98) are all listed. Duke's doubles duo of Coleman and Balus are also ranked No. 20 nationally.
Earlier this spring, Balus became the eighth Blue Devil freshman to be ranked in the top 10 nationally and the first since Maria Mateas in 2019.
Ashworth Nets Another Milestone Win
Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth reached 250 ACC victories over his career with the win March 30 against SMU. He became the first ACC coach to reach 250 league wins over his career. Last year, he joined the 600-win club as well.
Match-Clinching Victories
Senior Emma Jackson has totaled five match-clinching wins so far this season and has moved her career total to 18 over her four seasons. She now ranks fourth on Duke's all-time record charts with her 18 match-clinching victories.
Ellie Coleman has totaled five match-clinching wins this season and now owns 14 match-clinching wins over her four years to rank tied for 11th at Duke.
Hovde Making Impact on Blue Devils
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season and she made her 2025 debut on the road at Boston College and Syracuse. Neither of her singles matches were finished, while she won one of her doubles contests in the opening weekend.
Hovde registered her first collegiate singles win at Clemson on March 9 and currently owns a 6-6 ledger on the year. She recently collected her first collegiate ranked win with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 15th-ranked Thea Rabman of North Carolina to help the Blue Devils to a 4-2 win against the fourth-ranked Tar Heels. Hovde was also named the ACC Freshman of the Week on April 8.
Duke has registered an 18-1 ledger with Hovde in the lineup.
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 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 freshman 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 636-161 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 79.8 winning percentage, seventh with 636 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.8) 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 has reached 20 victories this season for the 28th time in Blue Devil history, while head coach Jamie Ashworth has posted 20 or more wins a total of 20 times.
- Eight different Duke student-athletes have posted match-clinching wins on the season with Emma Jackson (5), Ellie Coleman (5), Eleana Yu (5) and Shavit Kimchi (3) leading the way.
- Duke's doubles team of Emma Jackson and Liv Hovde were named the Doubles Team of the Week on April 1, after posting two wins and leading Duke to victories over No. 4 UNC and No. 61 SMU. Hovde was then named ACC Freshman of the Week on April 8. Freshman Irina Balus was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 18 and Jan. 28 so far this season.
- A couple of Blue Devils are currently riding singles winning streak heading into the next match – Ava Krug (8) and Ellie Coleman (14).
- Rookie Ava Krug continued her hot start to her collegiate career moving to 12-2 overall and 7-0 in dual match action.She went 3-0 in ACC play as well.
- Senior Ellie Coleman has now totaled the match-clinching win against three top-10 opponents – No. 10 NC State, No. 6 Michigan and No. 4 North Carolina.For her career, she owns 13 match-clinching victories.
- Duke freshman Ava Krug had 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.
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
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Eleana Yu Post Match vs. Auburn
Saturday, May 10
Jame Ashworth Post Match vs. Auburn
Saturday, May 10
Ellie Coleman Post Match vs. FAU
Saturday, May 03
Jamie Ashworth Post Match vs. FAU
Saturday, May 03
