The women’s tennis team was shut out in Durham Wednesday afternoon, as the Blue Devils defeated N.C. State 7-0. The loss was a far cry from the Wolfpack’s 5-2 upset last year in Raleigh, State’s first ever in the series. Duke, with five straight wins, leads the all-time series 47-1.

Duke swept the doubles point for the fifth straight match to get ahead of the Pack early. Duke’s freshman team of Reka Zsilinszka and Ellah Nze won their doubles match as the Devils’ two newcomers continued to impact their team’s success. The two won singles in straight sets as well to help Duke sweep doubles and complete the shutout.

“We tried our best and I think we played well, but they were better today,” freshman Lenka Hojckova said. “I was frustrated because I missed easy balls and I knew that I had to hit every ball in order to win the match.”

The match was a homecoming of sorts for junior and Durham native Neils Barringer. Barringer’s court had a large gathering of family and friends who made the short trip to catch her in action.

“It [was] so great having them out there, supporting me, even though it was a tough day and I didn’t play my best,” Barringer, who lost in straight sets, said. “It was good when I won a point to have the crowd get excited.”

Head coach Hans Olsen said the match, though a lop-sided loss, would prove to be a learning experience for the team so early in its conference season.

“We’ll take some things from this match into our next match,” he said, “We’ve got to pick some things up to get ready for our next match.”

“I think we all fought hard, but Duke came out strong, and really knew how to put away some key points,” Barringer said. “Duke’s a tough team and [this experience will] prepare us for our next matches.”