No. 10 Duke Defeats No. 14 Wake Forest, 6-1

Saturday, March 26

Winston-Salem, N.C.

12:00 PM

Duke University

Wake Forest

No. 10 Duke Defeats No. 14 Wake Forest, 6-1

3/26/2016 5:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score: Duke 6, Wake Forest 1

By: Duke Sports Information

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a match between two top-15 programs, the No. 10 Duke women's tennis team defeated 14th-ranked Wake Forest, 6-1, Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C. The contest wrapped up a four-match road stretch for the Blue Devils, who improved to 13-2 on the year and 6-1 against ACC opposition with the result. Duke also owns a 10-2 record this season when facing nationally ranked teams after defeating the Demon Deacons (16-5, 5-4).

“We have a bunch of tough matches coming up,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “This one, with Wake Forest being ranked No. 14, then we have North Carolina, Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan right after that. This was the first one, and we talked about how the next two weeks are going to do a lot to define the rest of our season, where we are in the ACC Tournament and after that. Hopefully this is the start of a good 10-day stretch.”

The Blue Devils entered singles action with a one-point advantage for the third straight match after picking up doubles wins on courts two and three.

For the second consecutive competition, the Duke tandem of sophomore Samantha Harris and freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy led the Blue Devils off the doubles courts after picking up a 6-0 win over Wake Forest's duo of Samantha Asch and Emma Davis. The 6-0 victory marked the second match this season where Harris and McCarthy did not drop a game. With the victory, the Blue Devil pair improves to 12-3 on the season and extends its win streak to six straight.

“We both started off with a lot of energy and we were being really aggressive,” McCarthy said. “The two girls we played were really good. I knew them going into the match, and I knew what they were capable of. I think that we didn't allow them to relax and start playing their game. That was a huge help for us. The energy we were able to bring from the beginning was a huge help, and I think that was the difference as to why we were able to start so quickly and keep the lead.”

Duke earned the doubles point on court three, as juniors Chalena Scholl and Alyssa Smith downed Wake Forest's Andrea Retolaza and Luisa Fernandez, 6-4. The experience of the Duke tandem was evident in the match, as the pair trailed multiple times in the contest, including with the score reading 2-1 and 4-3, but the resilient duo increased its energy level and won three-straight games down the stretch to pick up its 11th victory of the year.

Prior to Duke earning the doubles point, Wake Forest pulled even by taking a match on court one, as Kimmy Guerin and Anna Ulyashchenko handed the 14th-ranked Blue Devil team of senior Beatrice Capra and freshman Ellyse Hamlin a 6-3 defeat. The contest on court one proved to be a back-and-forth affair as the two pairs traded the lead numerous times throughout the match. With Capra and Hamlin trailing, 3-2, the Duke duo pulled the score even at 3-3, but a three-game run from Guerin and Ulyashchenko secured the win and dropped the Duke tandem's record to 14-8 on the year.

The Blue Devils found themselves trailing by a set on four of the six singles courts, but showcased mental resilience, responding admirably by picking up wins on all four of the courts.

“We have to, one, not get in that position [fall behind a set], but we also have to know that we're never out of a match,” Ashworth said. “We can compete with anyone, but even if we are down one or two points makes a big difference. We have to keep fighting and keep believing. I told them before singles started that they had to play the point and the match until the very end. That's how it worked out for us today. We kept battling after getting down. Hopefully we gained a little toughness and we raised our level of play. We competed well.”

Harris set the tone for the Blue Devils in singles, leading Duke off the singles courts following a 6-4, 6-1 win over Asch on court four. Harris trailed in the early portion of the first set, 3-1, before taking three straight games to give her a 4-3 lead. Although Asch would bring the score even at 4-4, Harris would win the final two games to take the set. In the second set, Harris cruised to an early 5-0 lead before Asch took her lone game of the match. With the straight-set victory, Harris moved to 13-5 on the season and 6-1 against ACC opponents.

Wake Forest pulled within a point of the Blue Devils after 78th-ranked Hamlin fell to Fernandez on court five, 7-5, 6-4. Hamlin was unable to earn the lead throughout the first set until, with the scoreboard reading 4-3, she won two straight games to take a 5-4 lead. The Fairfield, Conn., native was unable to hold the lead however, as Fernandez won two straight games of her own to close out the set. In the second set, Hamlin jumped out to a 4-3 lead, but Fernandez took three straight games to win the match and bring Hamlin's record to 11-6 on the year.

Duke responded by taking the final four singles matches to earn the win, beginning with 92nd-ranked Scholl, who defeated 112th-ranked Davis, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, on court two. Scholl never led in the first set, falling behind, 4-1, before the Pompano Beach, Fla., native tied the match by winning three straight games. Scholl was unable to continue the momentum, however, as Davis won two straight games to take the set. In the second set, Scholl dropped the first game before collecting herself, once again upping her energy and winning four straight to earn a 4-1 advantage. Davis won two straight games to bring the score to 4-3, but Scholl held off the late push from Davis by winning two of the final three games. In the final set, Scholl cruised, not conceding a single game en route to her 17th win of the year.

McCarthy, the 35th-ranked singles player in the country competing against Ulyaschenko on court three, required three sets, but ultimately defeated her opponent, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, to secure the win for Duke. McCarthy and Ulyaschenko exchanged the lead throughout the opening set. McCarthy fell behind, 2-0, before tying the match at 2-2. Ulyaschenko once again pulled clear of McCarthy by two games, before the Blue Devil won three straight games to earn a 5-4 advantage. Although Ulyaschenko would tie the set at 5-5, McCarthy won two consecutive games to take the first set. In the second set, McCarthy never led, falling behind early, however in the third set, with the score sitting at 2-2, McCarthy secured three straight games to garner a lead which she would never relinquish.

“I think [the team] started off fairly slowly, and the fact that we were able to bounce back, I was able to win the third set and Chalena and Beatrice were able to bounce back and win the second set after having slow starts in the first, shows a lot about this team,” McCarthy said. “We aren't going to go away easily. We are going to fight hard for every point and make it hard for our opponent. As for me, I was really happy to be competing alongside the girls, and everyone was competing really hard.”

Although the team result was decided, matches on courts one and six were played out. On court one, 28th-ranked Capra defeated 84th-ranked Guerin, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, improving the Ellicott City, Md., native's record to 8-4 on the year, while redshirt freshman Christina Makarova defeated Xue Zhang, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 1-0 (13-11), moving her record to 7-3 on the season.

The Blue Devils return to Durham for the first time since March 4, as Duke takes on North Carolina Tuesday at 3 p.m.

#GoDuke

#10 Duke 6, #14 Wake Forest 1

Singles competition
1. #28 Beatrice Capra (DU) def. #84 Kimmy Guerin (WF) 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
2. #92 Chalena Scholl (DU) def. #112 Emma Davis (WF) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
3. #35 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) def. Anna Ulyashchenko (WF) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
4. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Samantha Asch (WF) 6-4, 6-1
5. Luisa Fernandez (WF) def. #78 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 7-5, 6-4
6. Christina Makarova (DU) def. Xue Zhang (WF) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 1-0 (13-11)

Doubles competition
1. Kimmy Guerin/Anna Ulyashchenko (WF) def. #14 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 6-3
2. Samantha Harris/Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) def. Samantha Asch/Emma Davis (WF) 6-0
3. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Andrea Retolaza/Luisa Fernandez (WF) 6-4