Carleton Makes First Appearance As Blue Devil At National Indoors

DURHAM, N.C. ? Duke senior Jackie Carleton has been to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships before, but never as a Blue Devil. Carleton transferred to Duke from UCLA for the 2004-05 season and this year qualified for the national tournament, held Nov. 3-6 at Ohio State, by making it to the finals of the Southeast Regional Championships in mid October.

Two other Duke women's tennis players qualified for the national tournament ? junior Daniela Bercek, a transfer from UCLA this year, was a finalist at the Riviera/ITA All-American Tournament, and the pair of Bercek and freshman Jessi Robinson won the doubles title at the Southeast Regional ? but a nagging injury will keep Bercek, and hence, the team of Bercek and Robinson, out of the competition.

Carleton began the 2005 fall season ranked 68th in the ITA poll and had an excellent run at the Southeast Regional, winning five straight matches as the fourth seed and upsetting the No. 2 seed to reach the finals. Carleton did not play at nationals last year but met several Duke players the year before while competing for UCLA. Carleton was knocked out of the singles competition in 2003 by Blue Devil Amanda Johnson, who went on to reach the semifinals. In doubles, Carleton's UCLA team defeated Johnson and current Duke player Tory Zawacki in the semifinal round.

The Duke program has enjoyed success at the national indoors over the years. Karin Miller won the singles title in 1997, while Ansley Cargill, now a volunteer assistant coach with the Blue Devils was a finalist in February of 2001. In the last six years, four singles players and one doubles team have reached at least the semifinals of the tournament. In back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998, Duke had a doubles team reach the final match. The Blue Devils' new assistant coach this year, Stephanie Nickitas, also brings experience, as she won the doubles title in 1996 for the University of Florida.

Carleton will begin play Thursday in the Round of 32 against Caitlin O'Keefe of Ohio State. The winner will face the winner of third-seeded Kristi Miller of Georgia Tech and Stanford's Anne Yelsey Friday. Thursday's singles matches will be played after the doubles, which start at 8:30 a.m. Results will be posted on www.itatennis.com.

While Carleton represents Duke at the national tournament, her teammates will battle at North Carolina's annual Kitty Harrison Invitational, held Friday through Sunday in Chapel Hill.

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