The win sees the Bulldogs through to the round of 16, where they will face No. 11 seed Michigan on Friday at 1 p.m. ET in Waco. The Bulldogs beat the Wolverines 4-1 in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships earlier this season.
[su_spacer size=”40″]“I think today we had confidence from yesterday but maybe even more confidence from the whole season we’ve played and everything we’ve done and all the experiences we’ve had from all the matches and practices,” said head coach Jeff Wallace. “We’re trying to save our best for the end, and coming out and playing the way we did today, I really thought this was one of the best matches we had all year.”
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Freshman Ellen Perez clinched the match for the Bulldogs in singles play with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 39 Ester Goldfeld on court 2. She also teamed up with senior Lauren Herring to clinch the doubles point for the Bulldogs with an 8-6 win over No. 36 Beatrice Capra and Samantha Harris on court 1.
[su_spacer size=”40″]Two other underclassmen, freshman Kennedy Shaffer and sophomore Caroline Brinson, were responsible for Georgia’s other two points on the day.
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Brinson was the first to finish in singles as she cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Rebecca Smaller on court 6. Shaffer then brought the Bulldogs within one point of clinching the match with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Rachel Kahan on court 4. The Rossford, Ohio, native was down 4-1 in the second set but pulled off five straight wins to take the point.
[su_spacer size=”40″]“Our younger players have just grown so much this year and when they’re out there they really don’t play like freshmen and sophomores,” said Wallace. “They fight, are energized and excited, and just do things the Bulldog way. I’m really proud of them.”
[su_spacer size=”40″]Georgia’s win over Duke puts the Bulldogs ahead of the Blue Devils 13-12 in the all-time series. It also means that Georgia advances to the NCAA round of sixteen for the fifth straight season.
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Interactive and printable brackets, live scoring, and ticket information for the remaining NCAA Championship matches can be found at the link below. Should the Bulldogs defeat Michigan on Friday, they will play the winner of the California vs. Stanford match at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
[su_spacer size=”40″]NCAA Championship Information
[su_spacer size=”40″]Women’s Tennis Second Round: #7 Georgia (22-6) def. #20 Duke (17-10), 4-0
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Doubles (Order of finish: 2,1)
1. #11 Lauren Herring/Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #36 Beatrice Capra/Samantha Harris (DUKE), 8-6
2. #43 Silvia Garcia/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Ester Goldfeld/Alyssa Smith (DUKE), 8-4
3. #85 Caroline Brinson/Hannah King (UGA) vs. Annie Mullholland/Chalena Scholl (DUKE), 7-4, unf.
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1. #5 Lauren Herring (UGA) vs. #84 Beatrice Capra (DUKE), 7-5, 4-2, unf.
2. #63 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #39 Ester Goldfeld (DUKE), 6-4, 6-3
3. #94 Silvia Garcia (UGA) vs. #86 Samantha Harris (DUKE), 7-5, 3-2, unf.
4. #59 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Rachel Kahan (DUKE), 6-1, 6-4
5. #88 Hannah King (UGA) vs. Chalena Scholl (DUKE), 6-7(5), 2-1, unf.
6. #104 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Rebecca Smaller (DUKE), 6-2, 6-1
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