DURHAM, N.C. — A late-season surge for the Illinois women's tennis team ended abruptly in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Winners of 10 of their past 12 matches, the Illini watched Arizona State take the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches and eventually hand Illinois a season-ending 4-0 defeat Saturday afternoon.
The pairing of sophomore Emilee Duong and senior Dani Pedraza Novak fell 6-1 to Lauryn John-Baptiste and Ilze Hattingh, the nation's No. 4-ranked duo.
The Sun Devils then dispatched Illini senior Jaclyn Switkes and sophomore Sasha Belaya in similar fashion (6-3) to clinch the match's opening point.