Blue Devils Advance to Semifinals of Match Play at ACC Championship

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Duke women’s golf graduate student Andie Smith drained a 15-foot birdie on her second extra hole Saturday to send the fourth-seeded Blue Devils into the semifinals of match play with a 3-1 victory against fifth-seeded NC State at Porters Neck Country Club in Wilmington. 
 
The Blue Devils received victories from freshman Rianne Malixi, Anna Cañado Espinal and Smith, while Katie Li was tied on the final hole when the match was clinched. 
 
Duke faces top-seeded Stanford in the semifinals beginning at 1:30 p.m., with the action covered live on ACC Network Extra. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duke’s contest against the Wolfpack started on hole No. 10 at 7:30 a.m.
• In the first match of the day, Duke freshman Avery McCrery went up against Vania Simont of NC State.  Simont opened with a birdie on No. 11 to take a 1UP lead, but McCrery bounced back with back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13 to take a 1UP advantage.  On No. 14, Simont added another birdie with McCrery notching her third birdie of the day on No. 15 to regain a 1UP lead.  Simont birdied No. 17 and McCrery birdied No. 18 to give McCrery a 1UP lead heading to the front nine.  The Blue Devils held a 1UP lead with six holes remaining, but Simont won holes 4-7 to close the match with a 3&2 win. 
• Anna Cañado Espinal never trailed in her match with Lindsay McGrath and put Duke’s first point on the board with a 4&3 result.  Cañado Espinal missed the fairway and made an outstanding up-and-down for par on No. 10.  She then birdied No. 12 and No. 15 to take a 2UP lead.  Cañado Espinal shot even-par through the first six holes of the next nine and closed the match with a par on No. 6. 
• NC State’s Ellie Hildreth led by as many as 3UP through four holes with a pair of birdies on No. 11 and No. 12 against Rianne Malixi.  Malixi started making a comeback by winning holes No. 14, No. 15 and No. 3 to tie the score with six holes remaining.  She registered a short birdie on No. 6 to take her first lead of the match, 1UP, and parred No. 7 to go 2UP.  Malixi hit a clutch greenside bunker shot to inches on the par-5 eighth hole to secure a 2&1 victory. 
• Andie Smith opened with great shot out of the fairway bunker and finished with a par against Marie Madsen.  Smith then drained a 10-footer for birdie on No. 2 to take a 1UP lead.  Madsen birdied No. 15 to tie the match and stayed that way until Smith parred No. 4 to take a 1UP lead.  Smith parred No. 6 to go 2UP…