Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis versus ITA Regional Championship on October 16, 2025
Women's Tennis
vs ITA Regional Championship
2000-01 Outlook
10/5/2000 1:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
In only his fifth year with the Duke program, Jamie Ashworth's best job may
be the one he does off the court. After several successful trips to the
NCAA's, Ashworth's recruiting has landed top prospects in Durham, N.C. ,
including the No. 1 ranked 18-and-under player in the country. Ashworth now
hopes to combine the newcomers with the rest of the Blue Devil lineup to
achieve the only goal yet to be satisfied during his time here -- a national
championship.
 Kathy Sell |
For the Blue Devils, although, the incoming freshmen will certainly play significant roles in the team, it all begins with the senior leadership in Kathy Sell and Megan Miller. Sell and Miller have accrued some phenomenal statistics in their first three years at Duke, combining for a singles record of 211-63, and leading the Devils to the NCAA finals, semifinals, and the round of sixteen over the last three years.
"I talked with Kathy and Megan a lot this summer about the opportunities that lie ahead for this year's team,"said Ashworth. "They want nothing more than to accomplish things at Duke that haven't been accomplished before in winning a national championship. A lot will fall on the tone they set in the first day of practice." Sell (Moorestown, N.J.) has been tested against the best competition in the country, winning the Southeast Regional title in the fall of her junior campaign. She is one of only 14 Duke players to reach the 100-win plateau, totaling 110 victories in just three years at the university. At doubles, she has the potential to reach the mark again, as she holds a collegiate record of 75-28. And while her skill level is superior, it is her hunger to win that registers in the mind of Ashworth.
"When Kathy leaves Duke, she will probably be the best team player we have ever had. She is willing to give up basically her life for the team, and she is hungry for a team title."
 Prim Siripipat |
Along with Sell, fellow senior Megan Miller (Palm City, Fla.) will provide the Blue Devils with the experience that earned her All-America honors last season. Despite having to go up against the stiffest of competition at the No. 1 singles slot, Miller slated a record of 17-9, including a clinching upset victory over the nationally fifth-ranked player that sent Duke to its 13th straight ACC Championship. Miller finished up the year with a No. 12 ranking in the Rolex-ITA rankings, but as Ashworth said, "she is going to be the leader on and off the court."
Duke's lone returning junior, Ioana Plesu (Quebec, Canada), looks to add to her perfect 7-0 ACC career record. While she has seen somewhat limited action in the past two seasons, Plesu may be called on as a significant contributor to the Blue Devils. Her efforts as one of the hardest working members of the team earned her playing time at singles and doubles last season, as she teamed with sophomore Prim Siripipat (Mexico, Mo) for a doubles record of 9-5.
Siripipat is coming off of a very successful freshman campaign, including winning streaks of eight and nine matches to finish up at 28-11 overall. With her court sense and skill level, she will do anything necessary to earn the victory for the Blue Devils, often outlasting them with her conditioning.
Siripipat joins two other outstanding sophomores in Hillary Adams (New York, NY) and Katie Granson (Bethlehem, Pa), both of whom will be crucial to the Devils' championship hopes.
Granson spent her freshman fall season recuperating from shoulder surgery, but she returned in the spring to compile a record of 13-7 in singles action at No. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 slots. If she can overcome the challenge of staying healthy, Ashworth sees no reason why she could not earn a top-30 ranking this season.
 Katie Granson |
Adams also missed her freshman fall season, but her first spring with the Devils proved to be an active one, competing in 25 matches and finishing one win shy of a .500 record. Adams combined with Miller to go 14-4 in doubles action, including 10 wins in their last 11 matches.
Ashworth is expecting doubles to contribute heavily to the Duke success this season, and it will begin with Adams. "Hillary is probably the best double player we have as far as intensity and being aggressive,"said Ashworth. "We can win a lot of matches because of her presence on the doubles court."
With the graduation of Brooke Siebel and the departure of Erica Biro, Ashworth had the luxury of searching for two top-notch players to fill the gaps. Ashworth simply brought in two players who will immediately be able to compete for starting roles.
Ansley Cargill (Atlanta, Ga.) comes to Duke as possibly the most heralded freshman player ever. As the first No. 1 ranked 18-and-under player in the country to ever attend Duke, Ashworth expects her to contribute to the team immediately.
"She will be a great presence on the court and is one of the smartest junior players I have ever seen." Cargill is not taking her collegiate experience lightly, as she has her mind set on earning All-America status in her first year.
The other half of the freshman class is Amanda Johnson (Bettendorf, Iowa), a prototypical doubles player with the court intelligence to win numerous matches. Much like Cargill, Johnson has already achieved a tremendous amount of success, finishing up 1999 with a USTA Girls' 18 National Singles Ranking of No. 6.
Ashworth's most difficult task this year may be finding playing time for so many talented players. Already conceding that doubles will play a significant role in helping Duke to reach its goal of a national title, Ashworth hopes that the depth of the Blue Devils will be evident through their strength in doubles.
"When it comes down to winning a national championship, it will come down to doubles, and I have no doubt that we have one through four--the four best doubles teams in the country,"said Ashworth.
In putting together one of the best lineups he has been fortunate enough to coach, Ashworth now hopes to find cohesion between the young and the old. The schedule will be a challenging one that provides Duke with valuable experience, including non-conference matches at Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Whereas in the past these matches may have been learning experiences, the Devils may now come in as the favorite, with many coaches looking toward Duke as a team capable of winning the NCAA's.
Ashworth has done his recruiting job off the court, and now he looks to do his job on the court, as he hopes to compliment Duke's traditional singles strength with one of the best doubles programs in the nation.
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