Women?s Golf Claims Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship

Sunday, November 5

Orlando, Fla.

All Day

Duke University

Day Three

Brill: Waving The Flag For Amanda: Blumenherst Exemplifies The True Student-Athlete

Women?s Golf Claims Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship

11/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? The Duke Women's Golf Team now owns three Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championships in three appearances as the Blue Devils downed fourth-seeded Vanderbilt on Sunday, 3-2, at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., to notch the 2006 title. Duke has now won the title in 2003, 2004 and 2006, after not competing in the championship last season.

“The thing I feel the best about this tournament is that everyone contributed substantially,” said Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks. “Everybody had their high impact part on the golf course. There was just a lot of really good things I saw out there on the course and the way the team pulled themselves through. We had some difficult matches.”

The Blue Devils came into the weekend seeded second and were coming off finishing second, third and seventh over the last three tournaments since opening the 2006-07 campaign with a victory at the Mason Rudolph Championship.

Duke opened the action on Sunday morning on fire as the Blue Devils never trailed in a match until the 12th hole.

“I think we were really ready to play in this tournament and I think today was no exception,” said Brooks. “I think they really wanted to finish the fall strong and that is what they did.”

Freshman Alison Whitaker continued her stellar play over the weekend and made a quick statement defeating Julie Bartholomew, 7&6, to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead on Sunday morning. The match lasted a little over three hours and Whitaker didn't allow Bartholomew to lead in the match. A product of Melbourne, Australia, Whitaker won the first hole, but Bartholomew won the second as the duo began the contest on hole No. 17.

“I love match play,” said Whitaker. “A lot of my best finishes have come in match play. I am extremely competitive and it is nice to have only one player to beat in match play instead of 60 others.”

Whitaker then went on a roll winning three straight and five out of the next seven holes. She then picked up wins on No. 9 and No. 10 to close out the match through 12 holes.

“I had a feeling she [Alison] was going to play well today,” said Brooks. “I told her lets watch some golf together on the backside right before she teed off today, which might have been a cocky thing to say. But sure enough when there were many holes left she showed up to watch her team finish up.”

The Blue Devils then went ahead, 2-0, as sophomore Jennie Lee knocked off Kristen Svicarovich, 3&2. Lee, who is from Henderson, Nev., started her match on the 18th hole and won No. 3 to take a 1up lead. She never trailed in the match and went ahead, 2up, through 13 holes. Lee closed the match with a birdie on her 16th hole, which was No. 15 on the course. For the weekend, Lee posted a 3-1 record.

Senior Anna Grzebien went up against Jacqui Concolino of Vanderbilt and began the match by winning the first, fourth, fifth and sixth holes leading to a 4up advantage through six holes. Grzebien, a product of Narragansett, R.I., led 3up through 11 holes but Concolino went on a run winning two straight and three out of the next four holes to send the match all square. Concolino took her first lead through 16 holes and put the match away on the 17th with her second straight birdie to cut the Blue Devil lead to 2-1.

Duke closed out the match with a victory by sophomore Amanda Blumenherst as she knocked off Liebelei Lawrence, 2up, as Blumenherst never trailed in the contest. Of the 17 holes played, Blumenherst led in 14 of them. A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Blumenherst led by as many as 3up through 14 and played solid all weekend as she posted a 3-0-1 record.

“Match play is the part of my game I need to work on the most,” said Blumenherst. “I needed more practice so this weekend I wanted to go out there and play my best. I ended up playing well as I hit my irons and driver really well this weekend. Things just started falling into place.”

In the final match, Duke's Jennifer Pandolfi fell to Chris Brady, 2&1. Pandolfi, who was playing in her home state of Florida, got off to a good start as she led, 1up, through eight holes but Brady grabbed her first lead on hole 12 and never gave the lead up winning in 17 holes. Pandolfi closed out the weekend with a 1-2-1 record, but will be widely remembered for making a comeback against Florida State's Caroline Westrup as she was three down with four holes remaining and ended up with a halve, which gave Duke the victory.

Duke concludes the fall slate with the victory and will next play on Feb. 26-27 at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.

“We have played well all fall but weird things kept coming up to hinder us,” said Blumenherst. “It is great that we pulled out a win here to finish the fall.”

- d - u - k - e -

Order of Finish

1st ? Duke University
2nd - Vanderbilt University
3rd - University of Georgia
4th - Michigan State University
5th ? Auburn University
6th - Louisiana State University
7th Tied - University of Arkansas
7th Tied - Florida State University
9th - University of Florida
10th - Wake Forest University
11th Tied - University of Alabama
11th Tied - Purdue University
13th Tied - Southern Methodist University 13th Tied - University of Arizona 13th Tied - University of Nebraska 13th Tied - University of South Carolina

FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Duke def. Vanderbilt, 3-2-0
Chris Brady, Vandy def. Jennifer Pandolfi, Duke, 2 and 1 Amanda Blumenherst, Duke def. Liebelei Lawrence, Vandy, 2 and 1 Jacqui Concolino, Vandy def. Anna Grzebien, Duke, 2 and 1 Jennie Lee, Duke def. Kristen Svicarovich, Vandy, 3 and 2 Alison Whitaker, Duke def. Julie Bartholomew, Vandy, 7 and 6

Georgia def. Michigan State, 3-1-1
Taylor Leon, UGA halved Heather Rose, MSU Whitney Wade, UGA def. Mandi McConnell, MSU, 1-up Mallory Hetzel, UGA def. Sara Brown, MSU, 3 and 2 Laura Kueny, MSU def. Garrett Phillips, UGA, 3 and 2 Alina Lee, UGA def. Jordyn Wells, MSU, 6 and 4

Page Two

Auburn def. LSU, 4-0-1
Nicole Hage, Auburn def. Melissa Eaton, LSU, 4 and 3 Candace Schepperle, Auburn halved Nicola Eaton, LSU Margaret Shirley, Auburn def. Rebecca Kuhn, LSU, 4 and 3 Marissa Milligan, Auburn def. Alexis Rather, LSU, 5 and 3 Abigale Schepperle, Auburn, def. Kimberly Meek, LSU, 3 and 2

Florida def. Wake Forest 3-2-0
Sandra Gal, UF def. Amanda Goins, WFU, 1-up Margaret Simons, WFU def. Tiffany Chudy, UF, 4 and 2 Dolores White, WFU def. Whitney Myers, UF, 3 and 2 Mallory Blackwelder, UF def. Jean Chua, WFU, 4 and 2 Ornella Jouven, UF def. Laura Crawford, WFU, 3 and 2