Completed Event: Women's Tennis at #1 Auburn on May 8, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 4
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Final
Women's Tennis
2
at #1 Auburn
4
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Coleman Looks Back on Preseason Trip to Ocean Reef
1/12/2024 8:12:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Duke women's tennis team headed to Ocean Reef in Florida just after the New Year and spent six days for preseason training and team bonding. Junior Ellie Coleman looks back on the incredible trip as the Blue Devils prepare to open the 2024 campaign on Saturday against SMU at 1 p.m.
DURHAM – We started 2024 with another unforgettable trip to The Ocean Reef Club. We arrived on January 3, stoked to be back together as a team and ready for preseason. Those of us who were on the team last year were happy to be back for another trip and those of us who are new were excited to experience it for the first time.
We had the pleasure of being invited to Spike Yoh's house again for an amazing dinner on the first night. We enjoyed spending time with Spike and his family. The first morning we started off with sprints on the basketball court. I think we were all a little humbled by the Florida humidity, but pushed through as a team to finish strong. After running, we took some downtime at the pool before practice in the afternoon. We all appreciated the warm weather and a chance to catch up with each other after winter break. We then took the golf carts over to the courts for the first hit of the trip. We enjoyed meeting some members who were nice enough to stop by our practice. We wrapped up the night with dinner at a unique collection of food trucks and glow in the dark mini golf. Danny (Leitner) and G (Gerhard Gruindelingh) came out on top after an intense nine holes of competition.
The next morning, we headed over to the gym for a team lift. There was a nice outdoor lifting space where we were able to do our workout. We all enjoyed getting a little extra sun and taking advantage of the amazing amenities provided for us. After this we grabbed some lunch and headed to the courts for practice. After practice, we played in a pro-am with the members which was a lot of fun. It was great to see some familiar faces from last year and meet new members as well. We finished up the night hanging out at the ice cream store, overlooking the marina.
Saturday started with a trip to an alligator farm just outside of Ocean Reef. This was cool because none of us had seen anything like this. The farm raises endangered species of alligators and houses other species like snakes, bobcats, and crocodiles. We got to ride on an airboat into the wetlands, which was everyone's favorite part of the day. We also got to see an alligator feeding and everyone got to hold a baby alligator. On the ride back to Ocean Reef, we stopped at a market called "Robert is Here" which is a famous fruit market. We all got smoothies made with fresh fruit for the ride home. When we got back, we went to practice and played a few exhibition matches for the members. Karol (Karolina Berankova) and Emma (Jackson) took on Shavit (Kimchi) and Ellie (Coleman) in the first doubles match. Then, Bri (Brianna Shvets) and Iuliia (Bryzgalova) took on Katie (Codd) and Shavit in the second doubles match. We had fun interacting with the members and competing against each other to prepare for our upcoming matches.
We had Sunday morning off to explore and enjoy the island. Most of us took the golf carts around the island and checked out the views. No matter where you are on the island there is always a view of the water or golf courses. Unfortunately, later in the day we got hit with a storm that caused us to cancel practice and the member event for the day. Some of the team enjoyed the spa for the afternoon and some went for a workout. The highlight of the day came at dinner time. We participated in a cooking class run by the Ocean Reef staff. We split into teams and turned it into a competition. The first team was Danny, Karol, Shavit, and Iuliia. The second team was Jamie (Ashworth), Hap (Zarzour), Katie, and Bri. And the third team was G, Emma, and Ellie. We made gnocchi with a rosemary and truffle pink sauce as well as chicken milanese. Dessert was a tiramisu that we all enjoyed very much. We had a blast cooking together and creating our own dishes. A winning team was never ultimately decided, but everyone had a great time.
The last day we had a morning practice and said goodbye to the tennis center. We were very grateful for the tennis center staff and members for supporting us throughout the week. This was a great way to kick off our season and we had a lot of fun together as a team. Most of the team spent the last afternoon relaxing at the spa before our last dinner. The high winds canceled our bonfire dinner, but we were still able to eat outside and enjoy the last bit of warmth. We celebrated Katie's birthday and recapped the trip. We were sad to leave on Tuesday, but excited to get back to campus and begin our season. We are super thankful for everyone at Ocean Reef who supported us and made our time so enjoyable. We will remember this trip for a lifetime.
Go Duke!
Ellie Coleman
DURHAM – We started 2024 with another unforgettable trip to The Ocean Reef Club. We arrived on January 3, stoked to be back together as a team and ready for preseason. Those of us who were on the team last year were happy to be back for another trip and those of us who are new were excited to experience it for the first time.
We had the pleasure of being invited to Spike Yoh's house again for an amazing dinner on the first night. We enjoyed spending time with Spike and his family. The first morning we started off with sprints on the basketball court. I think we were all a little humbled by the Florida humidity, but pushed through as a team to finish strong. After running, we took some downtime at the pool before practice in the afternoon. We all appreciated the warm weather and a chance to catch up with each other after winter break. We then took the golf carts over to the courts for the first hit of the trip. We enjoyed meeting some members who were nice enough to stop by our practice. We wrapped up the night with dinner at a unique collection of food trucks and glow in the dark mini golf. Danny (Leitner) and G (Gerhard Gruindelingh) came out on top after an intense nine holes of competition.
The next morning, we headed over to the gym for a team lift. There was a nice outdoor lifting space where we were able to do our workout. We all enjoyed getting a little extra sun and taking advantage of the amazing amenities provided for us. After this we grabbed some lunch and headed to the courts for practice. After practice, we played in a pro-am with the members which was a lot of fun. It was great to see some familiar faces from last year and meet new members as well. We finished up the night hanging out at the ice cream store, overlooking the marina.
Saturday started with a trip to an alligator farm just outside of Ocean Reef. This was cool because none of us had seen anything like this. The farm raises endangered species of alligators and houses other species like snakes, bobcats, and crocodiles. We got to ride on an airboat into the wetlands, which was everyone's favorite part of the day. We also got to see an alligator feeding and everyone got to hold a baby alligator. On the ride back to Ocean Reef, we stopped at a market called "Robert is Here" which is a famous fruit market. We all got smoothies made with fresh fruit for the ride home. When we got back, we went to practice and played a few exhibition matches for the members. Karol (Karolina Berankova) and Emma (Jackson) took on Shavit (Kimchi) and Ellie (Coleman) in the first doubles match. Then, Bri (Brianna Shvets) and Iuliia (Bryzgalova) took on Katie (Codd) and Shavit in the second doubles match. We had fun interacting with the members and competing against each other to prepare for our upcoming matches.
We had Sunday morning off to explore and enjoy the island. Most of us took the golf carts around the island and checked out the views. No matter where you are on the island there is always a view of the water or golf courses. Unfortunately, later in the day we got hit with a storm that caused us to cancel practice and the member event for the day. Some of the team enjoyed the spa for the afternoon and some went for a workout. The highlight of the day came at dinner time. We participated in a cooking class run by the Ocean Reef staff. We split into teams and turned it into a competition. The first team was Danny, Karol, Shavit, and Iuliia. The second team was Jamie (Ashworth), Hap (Zarzour), Katie, and Bri. And the third team was G, Emma, and Ellie. We made gnocchi with a rosemary and truffle pink sauce as well as chicken milanese. Dessert was a tiramisu that we all enjoyed very much. We had a blast cooking together and creating our own dishes. A winning team was never ultimately decided, but everyone had a great time.
The last day we had a morning practice and said goodbye to the tennis center. We were very grateful for the tennis center staff and members for supporting us throughout the week. This was a great way to kick off our season and we had a lot of fun together as a team. Most of the team spent the last afternoon relaxing at the spa before our last dinner. The high winds canceled our bonfire dinner, but we were still able to eat outside and enjoy the last bit of warmth. We celebrated Katie's birthday and recapped the trip. We were sad to leave on Tuesday, but excited to get back to campus and begin our season. We are super thankful for everyone at Ocean Reef who supported us and made our time so enjoyable. We will remember this trip for a lifetime.
Go Duke!
Ellie Coleman
Players Mentioned
Aspen Schuman Post Match vs. South Carolina
Monday, January 26
Jamie Ashworth Post Match vs. South Carolina
Monday, January 26
Eleana Yu Post Match vs. Auburn
Saturday, May 10
Jame Ashworth Post Match vs. Auburn
Saturday, May 10
