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
Saturday, January 11
Durham, N.C.
1:00 PM
Duke University
vs
James Madison
Photo by: Bri Shaw, Duke Athletics
No. 11 Duke Opens 2025 Spring Slate Saturday Against James Madison
1/10/2025 1:59:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C. – The preseason 11th-ranked Duke women's tennis team is set to open the 2025 spring slate this weekend as the Blue Devils host James Madison at 1 p.m., inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham.
Duke opens the season with four straight home matches. Admission is free and parking will be available in the blue zone lot adjacent to the tennis center.
The Series with James Madison
Duke and James Madison will meet for the third time in program history with the Blue Devils leading the series, 2-0. The two teams last met on May 4, 2019 in Durham, N.C., with Duke claiming a 4-0 victory. The Blue Devils also registered an 8-1 win on March 7, 1986.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison (0-0) is coming off a season where the Dukes totaled an 8-13 ledger under head coach Tyson Thomas. So far in 2024-25, JMU has been led by Sophia Williams (8-2), Mia Saveljic (7-3) and Daria Munteanu (7-3) in singles action.
Duke Versus the Sun Belt Conference
The Blue Devils currently hold a 12-0 record against Sun Belt Conference opponents - Old Dominion (7-0), JMU (2-0), South Alabama (1-0), App State (1-0) and Louisiana State (1-0).
What is Next
The Blue Devils will next host 10th-ranked Pepperdine on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.
ITA Rankings
Duke has been preseason ranked No. 11 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Blue Devils received one first-place vote and were one of five teams that received first-place votes – Georgia (3), Texas A&M (7), Stanford (1) and Oklahoma State (1). Georgia was ranked No. 1 followed by Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma State, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pepperdine and Duke in the top 11.
A total of eight ACC teams were ranked – Stanford (3), North Carolina (6), Virginia (9), Duke (11), California (13), NC State (14), Miami (23) and Florida State (24).
In the final fall singles rankings, Duke boasted four ranked student-athletes in singles -- Emma Jackson (25), Eleana Yu (30), Irina Balus (36) and Shavit Kimchi (49) – along with two ranked doubles teams – Ellie Coleman and Balus (10) along with Jackson and Yu (71).
New Additions, Big Impact
The Blue Devils brought in three newcomers in the fall and all three have made a big impact on the success of the squad. Irina Balus (7-2), Eleana Yu (7-3) and Ava Krug (5-2) combined to total a 19-7 singles ledger and 16-7 doubles mark. Both Balus and Krug are freshmen, while Yu is a sophomore after spending the previous season at Stanford.
Ashworth Adds Liv Hovde for Spring
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Hovde is a former No. 1 recruit nationally, while featuring an Intercollegiate Tennis Federation (ITF) career-high ranking of No. 3 and a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) career-high rankings of No. 245 in singles and No. 354 in doubles. Hovde also owns seven ITF titles.
Balus & Coleman Earn All-America Accolades
With the tandem of Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in Waco, Texas this past November, the Blue Devil duo earned All-America accolades.
Duke's doubles team of Balus and Coleman registered two wins during the championship, starting with a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) victory over 23rd-ranked Elza Tomase and Catherine Aulia of Tennessee. In the round of 16, Balus and Coleman posted a 7-5, 6-3 win against 20th-ranked Lily Fairclough and Grace Piper of Southern California. The Blue Devil run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney of Florida.
Balus and Coleman finished the fall with a 9-2 ledger. Their appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals was the first for Duke since 2018 and they were just the 11th doubles tandem in program history to reach the quarterfinals.
Balus became the seventh Blue Devil to earn NCAA Doubles All-America accolades – Karolina Berankova (2021), Kelly Chen (2018), Tory Zawacki (2004), Kelly McCain (2002), Karin Miller (1997) and Vanessa Webb (1996).
The Head Coach
Head coach Jamie Ashworth enters his 29th season with the Blue Devils and owns an impressive 612-158 ledger. Last season, Ashworth registered his 600th victory on Jan. 20 in a 4-2 win over Illinois. He accomplished this mark in only 747 matches becoming the quickest coach to 600 wins.
Quickest to 600 Wins – 747 by Jamie Ashworth (Duke), 749 by Jeff Wallace (Georgia), 779 by Brian Kalbas (William & Mary/North Carolina), and 785 by Lin Loring (UC Santa Barbara/Indiana).
Ashworth became the seventh NCAA Division I coach to reach the 600-win ledger – Loring (846), Wallace (818), Kalbas (748), Jay Louderback (703), Geoff MacDonald (631), Gualberto Escudero (Pepperdine) and Ashworth (600).
Among the winningest coaches of all time, Ashworth ranks 11th with a 79.7 winning percentage, seventh with 612 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.7) and second for winningest active coaches by victories.
Big Sets for Little Hearts
The Duke men's and women's tennis programs announced a partnership with the Duke Children's Hospital Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center called Big Sets for Little Hearts this past fall.
Big Sets for Little Hearts pledges will be made based on the number of sets won by the men's and women's tennis programs. Last year, both tennis teams combined for 647 sets won.
If you are interested in supporting Blue Devil tennis' partnership with Duke Children's, you can pledge for each set won during the season or make a one-time donation. Pledges start at $0.10, $0.50, $1.00 and $2.50. Based on last year's results, the smallest pledged donation would be equal to $64.70. For more information or to donate, click here.
The Duke Children's Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center is the No. 2 ranked pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program in the United States for newborns and children with congenital and acquired heart disease. The Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center strives to improve their patients' outcomes and the quality of their lives.
Noting the Blue Devils
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Duke opens the season with four straight home matches. Admission is free and parking will be available in the blue zone lot adjacent to the tennis center.
The Series with James Madison
Duke and James Madison will meet for the third time in program history with the Blue Devils leading the series, 2-0. The two teams last met on May 4, 2019 in Durham, N.C., with Duke claiming a 4-0 victory. The Blue Devils also registered an 8-1 win on March 7, 1986.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison (0-0) is coming off a season where the Dukes totaled an 8-13 ledger under head coach Tyson Thomas. So far in 2024-25, JMU has been led by Sophia Williams (8-2), Mia Saveljic (7-3) and Daria Munteanu (7-3) in singles action.
Duke Versus the Sun Belt Conference
The Blue Devils currently hold a 12-0 record against Sun Belt Conference opponents - Old Dominion (7-0), JMU (2-0), South Alabama (1-0), App State (1-0) and Louisiana State (1-0).
What is Next
The Blue Devils will next host 10th-ranked Pepperdine on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.
ITA Rankings
Duke has been preseason ranked No. 11 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Blue Devils received one first-place vote and were one of five teams that received first-place votes – Georgia (3), Texas A&M (7), Stanford (1) and Oklahoma State (1). Georgia was ranked No. 1 followed by Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma State, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pepperdine and Duke in the top 11.
A total of eight ACC teams were ranked – Stanford (3), North Carolina (6), Virginia (9), Duke (11), California (13), NC State (14), Miami (23) and Florida State (24).
In the final fall singles rankings, Duke boasted four ranked student-athletes in singles -- Emma Jackson (25), Eleana Yu (30), Irina Balus (36) and Shavit Kimchi (49) – along with two ranked doubles teams – Ellie Coleman and Balus (10) along with Jackson and Yu (71).
New Additions, Big Impact
The Blue Devils brought in three newcomers in the fall and all three have made a big impact on the success of the squad. Irina Balus (7-2), Eleana Yu (7-3) and Ava Krug (5-2) combined to total a 19-7 singles ledger and 16-7 doubles mark. Both Balus and Krug are freshmen, while Yu is a sophomore after spending the previous season at Stanford.
Ashworth Adds Liv Hovde for Spring
Head coach Jamie Ashworth added 2022 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Liv Hovde to the roster on Dec. 23 heading into the spring season. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Hovde is a former No. 1 recruit nationally, while featuring an Intercollegiate Tennis Federation (ITF) career-high ranking of No. 3 and a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) career-high rankings of No. 245 in singles and No. 354 in doubles. Hovde also owns seven ITF titles.
Balus & Coleman Earn All-America Accolades
With the tandem of Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in Waco, Texas this past November, the Blue Devil duo earned All-America accolades.
Duke's doubles team of Balus and Coleman registered two wins during the championship, starting with a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) victory over 23rd-ranked Elza Tomase and Catherine Aulia of Tennessee. In the round of 16, Balus and Coleman posted a 7-5, 6-3 win against 20th-ranked Lily Fairclough and Grace Piper of Southern California. The Blue Devil run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney of Florida.
Balus and Coleman finished the fall with a 9-2 ledger. Their appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals was the first for Duke since 2018 and they were just the 11th doubles tandem in program history to reach the quarterfinals.
Balus became the seventh Blue Devil to earn NCAA Doubles All-America accolades – Karolina Berankova (2021), Kelly Chen (2018), Tory Zawacki (2004), Kelly McCain (2002), Karin Miller (1997) and Vanessa Webb (1996).
The Head Coach
Head coach Jamie Ashworth enters his 29th season with the Blue Devils and owns an impressive 612-158 ledger. Last season, Ashworth registered his 600th victory on Jan. 20 in a 4-2 win over Illinois. He accomplished this mark in only 747 matches becoming the quickest coach to 600 wins.
Quickest to 600 Wins – 747 by Jamie Ashworth (Duke), 749 by Jeff Wallace (Georgia), 779 by Brian Kalbas (William & Mary/North Carolina), and 785 by Lin Loring (UC Santa Barbara/Indiana).
Ashworth became the seventh NCAA Division I coach to reach the 600-win ledger – Loring (846), Wallace (818), Kalbas (748), Jay Louderback (703), Geoff MacDonald (631), Gualberto Escudero (Pepperdine) and Ashworth (600).
Among the winningest coaches of all time, Ashworth ranks 11th with a 79.7 winning percentage, seventh with 612 wins, fourth for winningest active coaches by percentage (79.7) and second for winningest active coaches by victories.
Big Sets for Little Hearts
The Duke men's and women's tennis programs announced a partnership with the Duke Children's Hospital Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center called Big Sets for Little Hearts this past fall.
Big Sets for Little Hearts pledges will be made based on the number of sets won by the men's and women's tennis programs. Last year, both tennis teams combined for 647 sets won.
If you are interested in supporting Blue Devil tennis' partnership with Duke Children's, you can pledge for each set won during the season or make a one-time donation. Pledges start at $0.10, $0.50, $1.00 and $2.50. Based on last year's results, the smallest pledged donation would be equal to $64.70. For more information or to donate, click here.
The Duke Children's Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center is the No. 2 ranked pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program in the United States for newborns and children with congenital and acquired heart disease. The Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center strives to improve their patients' outcomes and the quality of their lives.
Noting the Blue Devils
- Duke freshman Ava Krug will have a couple of familiar faces around Durham this season as her brothers, Jake and Connor, are seniors on the Blue Devil men's tennis team.
- The Blue Devils have won 58 out of the last 59 matches when winning the doubles point. Duke had won 47 in a row, before a defeat in the NCAA Tournament second round last season to UCLA.
- Duke has featured a stellar home court advantage over the years and have boasted a 107-5 ledger over the last 17 years.Since opening the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, the Blue Devils have posted a 103-4 record over 16 years.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Monday, January 26
Monday, January 26
Saturday, May 10
Saturday, May 10
