Duke Begins Home Stand with No. 2 Northwestern

DURHAM, N.C. - It will be a battle of top-10 teams Wednesday when fifth-ranked Duke hosts No. 2 Northwestern at 3 p.m. in Ambler Stadium. The Blue Devils enter their last non-conference match of the season with an overall record of 12-2, including a mark of 8-0 at home.

Duke and Northwestern will face off for the 16th time on Wednesday, with Duke holding a 10-5 advantage in the all-time series record. The teams last met last season in Evanston, with the Blue Devils upsetting the top-ranked Wildcats 4-3 on their home courts.

The Blue Devils are coming off of a 6-1 win at William & Mary on Sunday. William & Mary earned the doubles point, but Duke rallied to sweep all six singles matches. Junior Reka Zsilinszka garnered the 100th victory of her career in a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles, becoming the 18th player in Duke history to reach 100 wins. Zsilinszka owns a career ledger of 100-25, for a winning percentage of .800, the second best all-time among Duke players who have reached the 100 mark.

Junior Ellah Nze, ranked 36th-nationally, improved to 11-2 in dual matches this spring with her victory at No. 1 singles. Meanwhile, senior Elizabeth Plotkin, ranked 56th-nationally, notched her 20th win of the season against William & Mary.

Second-ranked Northwestern enters Wednesday's contest with an overall record of 13-1. In their last outing, the Wildcats swept Wisconsin, 7-0, in Evanston, Ill. Led by junior Maria Mosolova at the No. 1 position, the squad has compiled a ledger of 63-17 in singles play this spring. Northwestern advanced to the quarterfinals of last season's NCAA Tournament, and took home its second-straight title at this year's ITA National Team Indoors on Feb. 15 in Madison, Wis.

Live scoring and live video of Wednesday's contest will be available on www.goduke.com.

Following Wednesday's match, the Blue Devils will resume ACC play in a pair of home matches this weekend. Duke will host Maryland Saturday at 1 p.m., and Boston College Sunday at 12 p.m., with both matches being played in Ambler Stadium.

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