Completed Event: Women's Tennis versus #7 Virginia on April 18, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 4
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Final
Women's Tennis
2
vs #7 Virginia
4
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Living the Dream: Liv Hovde Makes Her Blue Devil Debut
3/6/2025 11:16:00 AM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C.-- For Duke women's tennis, there's a new student-athlete in town – and she's more than ready to bring her A-game. Freshman Liv Hovde made her debut on the court during the Blue Devils' opening ACC matches on the road at Boston College and Syracuse during the weekend of February 21-23.
The rookie has made her way to Bull City after playing at the amateur and professional level throughout middle and high school. With tennis being a part of her life since she was five years old, Hovde has always held high expectations for herself and her career.
"I think it's every little girl's dream to be a professional tennis player, and to be the best you can be," said Hovde.
Growing up in McKinney, Texas, the rookie's skill and passion for tennis only grew throughout her childhood. With her training and tournament schedule ramping up, her parents and her made the decision to start homeschooling by the time she reached the sixth grade.
"It was the easiest way because of all the travel and since my friends were homeschooled, it felt pretty normal."
Hovde's training regimen featured morning and afternoon practices – as well as fitness sessions everyday – all the while completing her schoolwork from home and traveling to her matches. At just 13, Hovde played her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in singles and doubles, a Grade 4 in Haverford, Pa.
In a brief two years, her hard work on and off the court continued to pay off as Hovde began playing professional-level tournaments (Grade A and Grade 1) at the age of 15. These tournaments took the rookie to the national and international stage, sending her to the U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championships and to competitions in Canada, Mexico, Australia, France, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
"It's just an amazing experience, being able to travel and getting to play the sport that I love," said Hovde. "I get to see all of these different places."
In 2022, Hovde was given the opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages of all: the Wimbledon Junior Championships. She swiftly claimed the singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Hungary's Luca Udvardy in the final.
"I mean, it was surreal," reflected Hovde. "I just couldn't believe it, playing on Court One in front of 10,000 people. There are no words to describe that moment."
Hovde recounted her awe in meeting Novak Djokovic – one of the most decorated men's tennis players in the world and a player she looks up to – while at Wimbledon. The rookie hopes to find herself back at that prestigious stage in the future.
Hovde's experiences on such big stages have made her a master of maintaining her focus and mental toughness on the court.
"I try to enjoy the moment," said Hovde. "I try to live it and remember that I'm playing the sport that I love, and I just need to have fun. I really try to focus on myself and not how people are watching me, or what would happen if I won or lost."
Hovde's "live in the moment" mindset and stellar performances on the court has helped her achieve a career-high No. 3 ITF ranking and No. 245 singles and No. 354 doubles Women's Tennis Federation (WTA) rankings. Yet throughout her tennis journey, aspirations to play at Duke danced in the back of her mind.
"Duke has always been my dream school," said the rookie. With two parents who played collegiate basketball, Hovde grew up watching Duke basketball and admiring the talented tennis program that head coach Jamie Ashworth has built over his career.
Even more noteworthy, Hovde and fellow Duke freshman Ava Krug have been playing together since as young as eight years old, becoming fast friends when they met at a Little Mo tournament, a competition for players ages 8-12 run by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. Krug and Hovde competed together in several junior tournaments during their high school careers, and now find themselves reunited as Blue Devils.
"We're having so much fun together," said Hovde on her present friendship with Krug.
With tennis being an individual-heavy sport, Hovde is experiencing team dynamics for the first time by joining the Blue Devil squad. She had her first opportunity to travel and bond with her new team when they took to Ocean Reef, Fla., for preseason training before the start of the spring semester.
"It's definitely a different experience, but I love it. I feel so a part of the team right now," said the rookie. "I feel like our team is very close knit – we're always supporting each other and cheering each other on."
Since arriving on campus, Hovde continues to feel that support from her teammates and the rest of Duke.
"Everyone is very helpful and the community is just amazing here," said Hovde.
With the Blue Devil community at her back, Hovde reports a smooth adjustment to her new student-athlete life at Duke. She's enjoyed attending basketball games and is loving everything that campus has to offer. Gaining NCAA eligibility and playing her first matches two weeks ago was the cherry on top for Hovde.
"It was so cool to be on the court and play a match with my team," said Hovde on her contests against Boston College and Syracuse.
Looking ahead to the rest of the spring season, Hovde is eager and excited to continue playing with her team and immersing herself in all-things Duke.
"Obviously as a team, we want to win the national championship. I hope to do well individually at my matches since I just started playing [for Duke]," said Hovde. "I want to become a better tennis player overall and just really dive into the community and get to know everyone."
On behalf of himself and the team, Ashworth expressed their excitement for the addition of Hovde to the Blue Devil roster after her first matches.
"It's exciting for us to have Liv be able to play," said Ashworth. "I think she just adds to some of the depth we have. It is a great opportunity for her and a great opportunity for us to be able to do that – move people around, change our lineup, keep everybody fresh and ready to play as well."
Hovde is another incredible addition to an already talented and strong roster that will surely see 10th-ranked Duke to a successful spring tennis season. Hovde and the rest of the Blue Devil squad are back in ACC action on the road at Georgia Tech this Friday, March 7, at 4:00 p.m.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
The rookie has made her way to Bull City after playing at the amateur and professional level throughout middle and high school. With tennis being a part of her life since she was five years old, Hovde has always held high expectations for herself and her career.
"I think it's every little girl's dream to be a professional tennis player, and to be the best you can be," said Hovde.
Growing up in McKinney, Texas, the rookie's skill and passion for tennis only grew throughout her childhood. With her training and tournament schedule ramping up, her parents and her made the decision to start homeschooling by the time she reached the sixth grade.
"It was the easiest way because of all the travel and since my friends were homeschooled, it felt pretty normal."
Hovde's training regimen featured morning and afternoon practices – as well as fitness sessions everyday – all the while completing her schoolwork from home and traveling to her matches. At just 13, Hovde played her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in singles and doubles, a Grade 4 in Haverford, Pa.
In a brief two years, her hard work on and off the court continued to pay off as Hovde began playing professional-level tournaments (Grade A and Grade 1) at the age of 15. These tournaments took the rookie to the national and international stage, sending her to the U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championships and to competitions in Canada, Mexico, Australia, France, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
"It's just an amazing experience, being able to travel and getting to play the sport that I love," said Hovde. "I get to see all of these different places."
In 2022, Hovde was given the opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages of all: the Wimbledon Junior Championships. She swiftly claimed the singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Hungary's Luca Udvardy in the final.
"I mean, it was surreal," reflected Hovde. "I just couldn't believe it, playing on Court One in front of 10,000 people. There are no words to describe that moment."
Hovde recounted her awe in meeting Novak Djokovic – one of the most decorated men's tennis players in the world and a player she looks up to – while at Wimbledon. The rookie hopes to find herself back at that prestigious stage in the future.
Hovde's experiences on such big stages have made her a master of maintaining her focus and mental toughness on the court.
"I try to enjoy the moment," said Hovde. "I try to live it and remember that I'm playing the sport that I love, and I just need to have fun. I really try to focus on myself and not how people are watching me, or what would happen if I won or lost."
Hovde's "live in the moment" mindset and stellar performances on the court has helped her achieve a career-high No. 3 ITF ranking and No. 245 singles and No. 354 doubles Women's Tennis Federation (WTA) rankings. Yet throughout her tennis journey, aspirations to play at Duke danced in the back of her mind.
"Duke has always been my dream school," said the rookie. With two parents who played collegiate basketball, Hovde grew up watching Duke basketball and admiring the talented tennis program that head coach Jamie Ashworth has built over his career.
Even more noteworthy, Hovde and fellow Duke freshman Ava Krug have been playing together since as young as eight years old, becoming fast friends when they met at a Little Mo tournament, a competition for players ages 8-12 run by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. Krug and Hovde competed together in several junior tournaments during their high school careers, and now find themselves reunited as Blue Devils.
"We're having so much fun together," said Hovde on her present friendship with Krug.
With tennis being an individual-heavy sport, Hovde is experiencing team dynamics for the first time by joining the Blue Devil squad. She had her first opportunity to travel and bond with her new team when they took to Ocean Reef, Fla., for preseason training before the start of the spring semester.
"It's definitely a different experience, but I love it. I feel so a part of the team right now," said the rookie. "I feel like our team is very close knit – we're always supporting each other and cheering each other on."
Since arriving on campus, Hovde continues to feel that support from her teammates and the rest of Duke.
"Everyone is very helpful and the community is just amazing here," said Hovde.
With the Blue Devil community at her back, Hovde reports a smooth adjustment to her new student-athlete life at Duke. She's enjoyed attending basketball games and is loving everything that campus has to offer. Gaining NCAA eligibility and playing her first matches two weeks ago was the cherry on top for Hovde.
"It was so cool to be on the court and play a match with my team," said Hovde on her contests against Boston College and Syracuse.
Looking ahead to the rest of the spring season, Hovde is eager and excited to continue playing with her team and immersing herself in all-things Duke.
"Obviously as a team, we want to win the national championship. I hope to do well individually at my matches since I just started playing [for Duke]," said Hovde. "I want to become a better tennis player overall and just really dive into the community and get to know everyone."
On behalf of himself and the team, Ashworth expressed their excitement for the addition of Hovde to the Blue Devil roster after her first matches.
"It's exciting for us to have Liv be able to play," said Ashworth. "I think she just adds to some of the depth we have. It is a great opportunity for her and a great opportunity for us to be able to do that – move people around, change our lineup, keep everybody fresh and ready to play as well."
Hovde is another incredible addition to an already talented and strong roster that will surely see 10th-ranked Duke to a successful spring tennis season. Hovde and the rest of the Blue Devil squad are back in ACC action on the road at Georgia Tech this Friday, March 7, at 4:00 p.m.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
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