Duke Falls to Georgia in NCAA Second Round Match

Sunday, May 10

Athens, Ga.

1:00 PM

Duke University

Georgia (Second Round)

Ester Goldfeld Discusses Reaching 100 Career Wins

Duke Falls to Georgia in NCAA Second Round Match

5/10/2015 4:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Duke Sports Information

ATHENS, Ga. – The 20th-ranked Duke women's tennis team's postseason run in the NCAA Team Championships came to a close Sunday as the Blue Devils fell to seventh-ranked Georgia, 4-0, in Athens, Ga. With the second round loss, Duke (17-10, 11-3) failed to make it out of the regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.

For the second consecutive match, Duke trailed, 1-0, after surrendering the doubles point. Playing in front of a home crowd, Georgia used the enthusiasm and encouragement from its fans to come out strong on the doubles courts. The Bulldogs never allowed Duke to take a lead at any of the three positions.

The tandem of senior Ester Goldfeld and sophomore Alyssa Smith dropped its 12th contest of the season after falling to Georgia's 43rd-ranked team of Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer, 4-8, on court 2. The two pairs traded games to open the contest at 2-2 before Garcia and Shaffer went up a break and never relinquished the lead. With the score reading 3-4, Garcia and Shaffer won four of the next five games to secure the victory. Goldfeld and Smith conclude the season with a doubles mark of 11-12.

The doubles point was earned by Georgia on court one, as the 11th-ranked doubles pair of Ellen Perez and Lauren Herring defeated Duke's 36th-ranked duo of junior Beatrice Capra and freshman Samantha Harris, 6-8. Capra and Harris fell behind, 2-5, but battled back to within a game of their opponents. The two teams each won two games apiece, bringing the score to 6-7. Capra and Harris would once again come within a game of Perez and Herring, but the Georgia tandem successfully closed out the match, handing Capra and Harris their fifth loss of the season in the process. The team of Capra and Harris fell to 9-5 on the year with the loss.

With the doubles point decided, the match on court three remained unfinished, with Duke senior Annie Mulholland and sophomore Chalena Scholl down, 4-7, against Georgia's 85th-ranked team of Caroline Brinson and Hannah King. Mulholland and Scholl played to a 4-2 record in 2015.

Georgia's momentum from doubles carried over onto the singles courts, as the Bulldogs, who boast seven players ranked on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings, took the matches on courts two, four and six to earn the win.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 advantage after 104th-ranked Brinson defeated freshman Rebecca Smaller, 2-6, 1-6. Smaller, who last saw action March 28 against Pittsburgh, was unable to string together games, as she trailed 1-4 in each set. Smaller concludes her freshman campaign with an 11-10 record.

Georgia moved within a point of earning the victory after redshirt senior Rachel Kahan suffered a 1-6, 4-6 loss to 59th-ranked Shaffer. Kahan opened the match by winning the first game of the first set, but Shaffer responded by winning six straight. In the second set, Kahan stormed out to a 4-1 lead but her momentum stalled as Shaffer won the next five games to take the set and the match. Kahan ends her career at Duke with an overall record of 96-27 and as one of the winningest Blue Devils against conference opponents.

The match was clinched on court two, as Perez, the 63rd-ranked singles player in the nation, downed Goldfeld, the 39th-ranked singles player in the country, 4-6, 3-6. The first set proved to be a back-and-forth affair, as the two traded the lead four separate times. Goldfeld opened the set by leading 2-1, before Perez took a 2-3 lead. Goldfeld once again regained the lead, winning back-to-back games, before Perez closed out the set by winning the final three games. In the second set, Perez took the lead and never relinquished it, forcing Goldfeld to play from behind throughout the decisive set. Goldfeld falls to 25-14 on the year with the loss.

With the match decided, contests on courts one, three and five remained unfinished. Capra trailed fifth-ranked Herring, 5-7, 2-4, on court one, while Harris was behind Garcia, 5-7, 2-3, on court three. Scholl held a 7-6, 1-2, lead over King on court five. Capra finishes her junior season with a 12-8 record. Harris finishes her first season in Durham with an overall mark of 24-8, while Scholl posted a 3-4 ledger in 2015.

Although the team-portion of the season comes to a close, Goldfeld resumes action in the NCAA Singles Championships, which begin May 20 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.

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