DURHAM, N.C. - After registering three straight victories at home, the sixth-ranked Duke women’s tennis team will test its 10-1 record on the road Sunday when it travels to Gainesville, Fla. to face No. 9 Florida at 4 p.m. the Blue Devils have posted a 1-0 mark on the road this season, with that victory coming against Wisconsin during the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Team Indoor Championship on Feb. 12.
Duke and Florida will meet on the tennis courts for the 35th time on Sunday, with the Gators holding a 30-4 advantage in the all-time series record. the teams last met in February 2008, with the Blue Devils claiming a 4-3 victory in Durham.
In its last outing, Duke opened the 2010 ACC slate with a 7-0 win over visiting N.C. State on Thursday, marking the 300th victory in head coach Jamie Ashworth’s career. Ashworth is the winningest active coach in the ACC with a career mark of 300-69.
The Blue Devils continued their strong play in doubles against the Wolfpack, as the 24th-ranked pair of senior Elizabeth Plotkin and junior Reka Zsilinszka improved to 9-1 in dual matches this season with a victory at the No. 2 position. the tandem of junior Ellah Nze and senior Amanda Granson captured the point for the Blue Devils, cruising to an 8-1 win on court one. Duke owns an overall record of 27-6 in doubles matches this spring.
In singles play, 60th-ranked Granson earned a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory at the No. 4 spot, marking the 96th win of her career. Plotkin, ranked 47th-nationally, improved to 11-0 with a win at No. 2 singles, while No. 104 Nze defeated No. 107 Sandhya Nagaraj of N.C. State on court one. Zsilinszka, who leads Duke’s nationally-ranked players at No. 34, recorded a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 position.
Ninth-ranked Florida enters Sunday’s match with an 8-2 ledger in dual matches this spring. the Gators most recently took down No. 15 Florida State, 7-0. the team is led by No. 10 Allie will, who owns a 7-0 mark at No. 1 singles. Four other Florida players are also listed in the ITA’s most recent rankings, including No. 22 Lauren Embree at No. 22, No. 80 Marrit Boonstra and 86th-ranked Caroline Hitimana. Anastasia Revzina rounds out the Gators’ ranked players at No. 95. Meanwhile, the third-ranked tandem of Boonstra and will have registered a ledger of 8-1 in doubles play this spring.
The Blue Devils will follow Sunday’s match against Florida with a trip to Puerto Rico, where they will face No. 51 William & Mary and No. 7 Notre Dame on March 11-12.
Live scoring of Sunday’s match will be available on goduke.com.
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