NC State
Duke
Pack Pushes Top-Seeded Duke to the Brink
4/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 22, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Eighth-seeded NC State fell to top-seeded Duke on the final match of the afternoon, narrowly missing a dramatic upset in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, Friday at UNC’s Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
“The team played with so much heart today,” said NC State head coach Hans Olsen. “They were determined to make Duke earn every point, and they took a very talented right to the edge. It hurts that we came up short, but I know this experience will pay dividends as we move forward to the NCAA Tournament.”
The Pack opened the morning by landing a huge blow in its upset bid, taking the doubles point with authority.
Lenka Hojckova and Tatiana Illova steamrolled 51st-ranked Nadine Fahoum and Hanna Mar in an 8-0 decision. 18th-ranked Sanaa Bhambri and Sandhya Nagaraj clinched the point with an 8-5 victory against 50th-ranked Ellah Nze and Rachel Kahan. Joelle Kissell and Ashley Miller trailed Mary Clayton and Monica Gorny 6-5 when the match was abandoned.
Ahead 1-0, NC State felt the momentum shift to Duke’s side as the third-ranked Blue Devils claimed three quick wins in singles.
78th-ranked Clayton downed Christy Sipes 6-0, 6-1, 82nd-ranked Kahan knocked off Hojckova 6-1, 6-2, and 63rd-ranked Plotkin secured a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kissell to put Duke one decision away from advancing.
Duke held a 3-1 lead after the Kissell match as the crowd’s attention turned fully toward the three top seeds. Only 31st-ranked Bhambri held a lead at the time, after winning her first set 6-4.
The Pack’s comeback began with Illova, playing at a sizeable disadvantage in the number three spot against 18th-ranked Reka Zsilinszka. Illova battled back from a 6-1 loss in the first set to send the match into a second-set tiebreak.
At the same time, 94th-ranked Nagaraj began to take control after a 7-5 setback in the first set against 88th-ranked Nze. Nagaraj eventually clawed her way to a 7-5 victory in the second to send her match into a deciding third set.
Just one court to the right, Bhambri felt pressure as 36th-ranked Fahoum rebounded with a 6-2 second set to even the action.
Illova’s tiebreak represented an all-or-nothing scenario, as Zsilinszka could seal a 4-1 win for Duke with a win, but the sophomore from Slovakia had other ideas, sending the match into the third set with a dominating 7-1 performance to keep Pack hopes alive.
Bhambri’s match wrapped up first, with the senior taking a 6-1 third set to cut the Wolfpack deficit to 3-2. Nagaraj answered shortly with a 6-1 third set of her own to even the score at 3-3.
The Pack’s final gasp came when Illova trimmed Zsilinszka’s third-set lead to 4-3 in the only match left to be decided. Zsilinszka held her ground far off the baseline, repelling Illova’s overheads with gentle lobs back to the middle of the court, forcing Illova to try for winners. Eventually, the final Wolfpack contender fell 6-3, giving Duke the 4-3 win.
Duke advances to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, taking place Saturday. NC State now awaits an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Bids will be announced early next week.
RESULTS
(8) NC State 3, (1) Duke 4
Doubles
1. #18 Nagaraj/Bhambri def. #50 Nze/Kahan 8-5
2. Hojckova/Illova def. #51 Fahoum/Mar 8-0
3. Clayton/Gorny led Kissell/Miller 6-5, abd.
Singles
1. #31 Sanaa Bhambri def. #36 Nadine Fahoum 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
2. #94 Sandhya Nagaraj def. #88 Ellah Nze 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
3. #18 Reka Zsilinkszka def. Tatiana Illova 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3
4. #63 Elizabeth Plotkin def. Joelle Kissell 6-2, 6-2
5. #82 Rachel Kahan def. Lenka Hojckova 6-1, 6-2
6. #78 Mary Clayton def. Christy Sipes 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 1; 6, 5, 4, 1, 2, 3
