NET AND YAHOO AT DUKE

NET AND YAHOO AT DUKE

By Andy Weddington

Monday, 12 May 2025

Good shot, bad luck and hell are the five basic words to be used in a game of tennis, though these, of course, can be slightly amplified. - Virginia Graham 

Two singles matches, same time on adjacent courts, and each home player staring down match point.

Tense!

Silence in the full stands and on flanking courts littered with players and coaches. 

Neither visitor converted.

And soon thereafter lost. 

Fatigue? Loss of concentration? Determined opponents? 

A bit of each and then some. 

Eruption! Jubilation! 

That was the situation culminating 4 hours of women's tennis - NCAA Tournament 3rd Round - Ambler Stadium on the Duke University campus Friday evening past. 

The Blue Devils women swing wicked rackets.  

War of sorts, I guess. 

Net divides battlespace.

Ultimately, the idea is to put the ball where the opponent can't return it.

Lines mark service and perimeter boundaries. 

Ball on line is good.

Sometimes the ball clips net. Provided it falls in the opponent's battle space then good. 

Players make the close calls. 

Integrity in play. 

But a chair umpire rules.  

Repeated player bad calls levies penalty.

That happened in one of the two aforementioned matches during tiebreak and proved critical; as penalty ought. 

Throughout the evening Smedley Butler and his book 'War is a Racket' often came to mind. 

Because before us was sort of war being waged with rackets - firing volleys and lobs and sometimes aces; three one set doubles matches and six best of three sets singles matches.

Coaches roamed courts throughout play - suggesting and encouraging combatants between points. Casual but business. 

Fans struck me much as golf crowds - loud cheers and clapping for great shots yet eerily quiet when appropriate. There was respect and decorum. 

And then there was the often heard chirp. 

From players. 

From fans.

Quick and crisp: "Go Duke!"

Blurted randomly from stands and between points by players.

Battlecry - call to action, call to fight. 

Short, simple, crisp. 

It helped. 

Duke: 4 Auburn: 2

Yahoo! 

Thursday coming eighth-seeded Duke Blue Devils take on top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals. 

Hurt Tennis Center in Waco, Texas the battlefield. Showdown at high noon. 

If not able to travel to Texas, an ESPN channel will be airing. Tune in. 

By the way ...

Dick Vitale has a granddaughter on the Duke team. Believe we saw him with her dad. An "Awesome baby!" would have confirmed but we didn't hear that Vitale dandy. Likely he too chirped, "Go Duke!" 

Our new friend, Irina Balus, plays #2 (singles) and doubles (with #6 - Ellie Coleman [parents Navy vets/USNA grads]).

After cursory research, no confirmation Medal of Honor (twice) recipient Smedley Butler played tennis. But he knew a lot about service, rackets, battlefields, battlecries, lines, survival, and winning.  

Go Duke!