DURHAM, N.C. – The 2021-22 season for Duke women's tennis is starting to take shape, as the Blue Devils have been announced as hosts for 13th annual ITA Kickoff Weekend, from January 28-31, 2022. The Blue Devils will welcome No. 24 Oklahoma, No. 35 Furman and No. 51 Nebraska to the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
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The ITA Kickoff Weekend is set to return to Durham for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when the Blue Devils earned wins over Kansas State and Tulsa to advance to the 2020 ITA National Team Championships.
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Duke enters as the top seeded team in it's regional, after competing as the No. 2 seed this past season. The Blue Devils earned a 4-1 victory over No. 3 seeded and No. 22 Michigan in the opening match, behind two wins over ranked singles opponents from sophomore
Chloe Beck and redshirt senior
Meible Chi. The Blue Devils would ultimately fall to No. 1 seeded and No. 12 Georgia Tech in a tight 4-3 decision.
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The regional features some familiar opponents, as the Blue Devils could face Furman for the second straight season. Duke followed up its 2021 ITA Kickoff Weekend with a 5-2 victory over the Paladins on January 31, behind four singles wins from Beck, Chi, junior
Margaryta Bilokin and junior
Georgia Drummy. Duke has never lost to Furman, going 14-0 in program history, while totaling a 1-0 ledger against Nebraska. The team has never faced Oklahoma in program history.
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The Blue Devils are hoping to make it through their regional and advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Duke's streak of 12-straight appearances was snapped last season, but the team will enter as the top seed in next season's regional. The Blue Devils are set to return several key contributors from this past season, aiming to build on an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal run.
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For more information on Duke women's tennis, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeWTEN".
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#GoDuke
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