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Thirty-Six Straight: Women’s Tennis Heads into the NCAAs on a Roll
4/29/2026 3:35:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C.-- There is a phrase that gets used loosely in college sports — "getting hot at the right time." For the Duke women's tennis program, it's more than a cliché. It's a pattern backed by decades of evidence, and heading into the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils appear to be right on schedule: "playing your best tennis at the right time."
Duke earned its 36th consecutive bid to the NCAA Team Championships, the sixth-longest active streak in the country. The Blue Devils will host the first and second rounds May 1-2 at Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham. Duke, ranked No. 16 nationally and seeded No. 15, open against VCU Friday with 60th-ranked Old Dominion and 17th-ranked Tennessee also coming to town.
Head coach Jamie Ashworth, now in his 30th season leading the program, has guided Duke to the NCAAs every single year of his tenure. The consistency is as much a product of culture as it is consistent talent.
"It's kind of what you work for all year," said Ashworth. "The last month, in practice and in the matches, we've played, I thought we've competed better, fought better."
For a program that has reached 11 Final Fours and won a national title, that standard of improvement is applied collectively, not handed off to a handful of players.
"We can't go into the NCAA Tournament saying we're banking on three people winning. It has to be a collective effect," Ashworth emphasized.
The stretch run has been striking. Duke has won six of its last seven matches, with five of those victories coming against ranked opponents. The Blue Devils advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship before falling to top-seeded Virginia. A loss that Ashworth views not as a setback but as a signal of where his team stands.
"We were right there," Ashworth said. "We had opportunities to win that doubles point."
The doubles conversation has been one of the defining stories of Duke's season. After a rocky stretch, the Blue Devils have found renewed confidence at the net, with three ranked doubles pairings in the national poll. Ashworth credits incremental adjustments and a shift in belief.
"They believe in themselves a little more now than they did earlier in the year," said Ashworth.
The confidence extends to the singles lineup, where Duke features three nationally ranked student-athletes -- sophomore Irina Balus at No. 12, freshman Aspen Schuman at No. 47, and sophomore Liv Hovde at No. 120 nationally.
The ACC took notice, naming Balus to the All-ACC First Team, Schuman to the All-ACC Third Team, and the doubles duo of junior Shavit Kimchi and Balus to the All-ACC Second Team.
Balus and Kimchi anchor three of Duke's ranked doubles pairings. Ashworth noted that Kimchi has been playing "the best tennis she's played all year," while Hovde's form has steadily climbed.
Balus, a native of Slovakia, was tapped for All-ACC recognition for the second year in a row, going 20-8 overall with 12 victories against ranked competition and a 6-2 mark in ACC singles play.
Schuman arrived in Durham in January and wasted little time making an impact. She clinched four of Duke's last wins heading into NCAA play and has won nine of her last 11 matches, finishing ACC singles competition 10-1. She has been just as impactful in doubles, going 8-1 in conference doubles across partners.
The sense heading into Durham is a team converging, not just in the standings but in their tennis and purpose.
"We have to go into the tournament expecting that we can win six singles matches no matter who we play," Ashworth said. That kind of expectation — calm, collective and earned — is the hallmark of a program built for May moments.
In 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, Duke holds an 84-35 record (70.6 percentage), has reached the Final Four 11 times and claimed the 2009 national championship. An attempt to reach the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, in the Elite Eight later this month begins with a home crowd behind them and a team hitting its stride.
The Blue Devils have had tremendous success competing at home in the NCAA Tournament boasting a record of 36-2 in Durham and have won 13 out of their last 14 NCAA matches at home.
Duke (18-7) fans can head to Ambler Tennis Stadium Friday at 4 p.m., for the Blue Devils' opening contest against VCU. Tennessee and Old Dominion will kick things off at 1 p.m., as well. For tickets head here.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Duke earned its 36th consecutive bid to the NCAA Team Championships, the sixth-longest active streak in the country. The Blue Devils will host the first and second rounds May 1-2 at Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham. Duke, ranked No. 16 nationally and seeded No. 15, open against VCU Friday with 60th-ranked Old Dominion and 17th-ranked Tennessee also coming to town.
Head coach Jamie Ashworth, now in his 30th season leading the program, has guided Duke to the NCAAs every single year of his tenure. The consistency is as much a product of culture as it is consistent talent.
"It's kind of what you work for all year," said Ashworth. "The last month, in practice and in the matches, we've played, I thought we've competed better, fought better."
For a program that has reached 11 Final Fours and won a national title, that standard of improvement is applied collectively, not handed off to a handful of players.
"We can't go into the NCAA Tournament saying we're banking on three people winning. It has to be a collective effect," Ashworth emphasized.
The stretch run has been striking. Duke has won six of its last seven matches, with five of those victories coming against ranked opponents. The Blue Devils advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship before falling to top-seeded Virginia. A loss that Ashworth views not as a setback but as a signal of where his team stands.
"We were right there," Ashworth said. "We had opportunities to win that doubles point."
The doubles conversation has been one of the defining stories of Duke's season. After a rocky stretch, the Blue Devils have found renewed confidence at the net, with three ranked doubles pairings in the national poll. Ashworth credits incremental adjustments and a shift in belief.
"They believe in themselves a little more now than they did earlier in the year," said Ashworth.
The confidence extends to the singles lineup, where Duke features three nationally ranked student-athletes -- sophomore Irina Balus at No. 12, freshman Aspen Schuman at No. 47, and sophomore Liv Hovde at No. 120 nationally.
The ACC took notice, naming Balus to the All-ACC First Team, Schuman to the All-ACC Third Team, and the doubles duo of junior Shavit Kimchi and Balus to the All-ACC Second Team.
Balus and Kimchi anchor three of Duke's ranked doubles pairings. Ashworth noted that Kimchi has been playing "the best tennis she's played all year," while Hovde's form has steadily climbed.
Balus, a native of Slovakia, was tapped for All-ACC recognition for the second year in a row, going 20-8 overall with 12 victories against ranked competition and a 6-2 mark in ACC singles play.
Schuman arrived in Durham in January and wasted little time making an impact. She clinched four of Duke's last wins heading into NCAA play and has won nine of her last 11 matches, finishing ACC singles competition 10-1. She has been just as impactful in doubles, going 8-1 in conference doubles across partners.
The sense heading into Durham is a team converging, not just in the standings but in their tennis and purpose.
"We have to go into the tournament expecting that we can win six singles matches no matter who we play," Ashworth said. That kind of expectation — calm, collective and earned — is the hallmark of a program built for May moments.
In 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, Duke holds an 84-35 record (70.6 percentage), has reached the Final Four 11 times and claimed the 2009 national championship. An attempt to reach the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, in the Elite Eight later this month begins with a home crowd behind them and a team hitting its stride.
The Blue Devils have had tremendous success competing at home in the NCAA Tournament boasting a record of 36-2 in Durham and have won 13 out of their last 14 NCAA matches at home.
Duke (18-7) fans can head to Ambler Tennis Stadium Friday at 4 p.m., for the Blue Devils' opening contest against VCU. Tennessee and Old Dominion will kick things off at 1 p.m., as well. For tickets head here.
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
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/ Women's Tennis
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Eleana Yu Post Match vs. Auburn
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Jame Ashworth Post Match vs. Auburn
Saturday, May 10
