Balus, Coleman Fall in Doubles Final on Monday

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Duke women’s tennis doubles tandem of Ellie Coleman and Irina Balus had their run at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals come to an end Monday with a 7-5, 7-5 loss in the doubles final at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.
 
Coleman and Balus featured a solid start to the morning as the Blue Devils led 2-0, 3-1 and 5-4, but eventually dropped three straight games to lose the first set to Carson Tanguilig and Susanna Maltby of North Carolina. 
 
Once again Duke won the first game of the second set, but the Tar Heels would take control of the match winning three straight to go ahead, 3-1.  Trailing 5-2, Coleman and Balus made a furious rally led by four aces in a game by Balus.  Duke evened the score, 5-5, but dropped the final two, including a deuce point after trailing 40-15 to clinch the win for UNC. 
 
Both received plaques for their finals appearance and will have another opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championship in November at ITA Sectionals. 
 
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2024/10/21/DukeWTEN”.  
 
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