May 25, 2009

CHAMPION X2! Cecil Brings Home NCAA Individual Singles Crown

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Duke University freshman Mallory Cecil capped off her stellar rookie season today, defeating Miami’s Laura Vallverdu 7-5, 6-4 to win the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship. Cecil is the second player in Duke women’s tennis history to win the NCAA individual crown and just the fifth in ACC history.

Cecil becomes just the 14th women’s tennis player in NCAA history and first in ACC history to win both a team national title and individual crown in the same season and the first to do so since 2004. She is the seventh freshman in NCAA history to take home the title with the most recent coming in 2005. Vanessa Webb captured the individual championship for Duke in 1998. This is Cecil's second national title in a week after she helped guide the Blue Devils to the team title on May 19.

The opening set was an evenly fought battle. Cecil and Vallverdu held serve through six games, which included the Duke rookie fighting off various break points in the sixth game to keep the match tied at three apiece.

After holding her serve and fighting through numerous deuces, Cecil came right back and did the same to Vallverdu. Winning advantage, Cecil fired a backhand deep into the corner to force Vallverdu to miss her shot down the line wide and give Duke the early break to go up 4-3.

Game eight proved to be much of the same as Cecil fell behind 15-40. The Spartanburg, S.C., native fought off three break points and Vallverdu sent a shot just long to give Duke a 5-3 lead in the set.

Vallverdu came back in the next game and held easily to make it a 5-4 score. Looking to close out the set on her serve, Cecil fell behind 30-0 early. She battled back to tie the score 30-30, but Vallverdu took the final two points to tie the set at five games apiece.

Cecil came right back and went up 40-0 and broke Vallverdu for the second time in the match to go ahead 6-5. Facing a chance to close out the set for a second time, she won the final three points of the game to take a 1-0 lead in the match at 7-5.

The two both held serve in the first two games, but Cecil took over in the third game and never looked back. After breaking Vallverdu’s serve in the third game with a cross-court backhand winner, she cruised her way to a 5-1 lead.

Vallverdu would not give up as she held serve and broke to make it a 5-3 score in the second set. With Miami serving to stay in the match, Cecil grabbed a 40-30 lead to set up championship point. Vallverdu fought off that initial match point and two others to stay alive at 5-4 in the second set.

After dropping three straight games, Cecil regained her composure and raced out to a 40-15 lead to set up championship point. She put Vallverdu on her heels right away, forcing the Hurricane to stay behind the baseline. Cecil’s deep shot forced Vallverdu’s return long of the baseline to give Cecil the national title.

Cecil closes out her season with a 32-4 record, marking the 46th time in program history a Blue Devil has eclipsed the 30-wins mark. Her 32 victories are tied for 32nd all-time. Playing No. 1 all season for Duke, she helped guide the Blue Devils to the team championship a week ago. Duke finished the season 29-3 this season on its way to becoming national champions.

Miami's Vallverdu Finishes as NCAA Singles Runner-Up

College Station, Texas - University of Miami women's tennis junior Laura Vallverdu ended her run for an NCAA Women's Tennis Singles national title with a runner-up finish, falling to Duke's Mallory Cecil (5-7, 4-6) on Monday afternoon at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.

It was all about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on Monday in the heart of Big XII country (Lone Star State) as a pair of ACC women's tennis opponents faced off in a match that was exciting until the very end.

Laura Vallverdu (ranked No. 24), a now three-time All-American and three-time All-ACC performer, battled Duke's freshman No. 1 singles player Mallory Cecil to the end in what was the first NCAA Singles title match for both competitors.