URBANA, Ill. — Based on Samantha Adams’ and Kenna Kilgo’s showings at the NCAA tournament, you can’t tell a thing from the way they start. The Texas Tech tandem shook off a lopsided first-set loss and rallied to beat Vanderbilt’s Courtney Colton and Lauren Mira, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 Thursday at the NCAA doubles championships.

The Texas Tech women’s tennis team has taken big steps in each of head coach Todd Petty’s five seasons, and Sunday was another one as the Red Raiders sought their first berth into the NCAA round of 16. But this step will hurt for a while. No. 17 Tech rallied from losing the doubles point to lead No. 15 Duke late in a second-round NCAA tournament matchup at the McLeod Tennis Center. But the Blue Devils showed why they are a perennial player in the Sweet 16, rallying to win the final two singles matches in three sets to take a 4-3 win and end Tech’s season at 20-7.

  Todd Petty imagines the first thing opposing coaches do to prepare for the courts at Lubbock is look at a map to figure out where it is. After that, though, it’s a bit tougher. As if the fickle Lubbock weather isn’t enough to handle, Lubbock’s nearly 3,300-foot elevation makes it more than a challenge to deal with for teams used to playing at sea level. “I don’t know if you can prepare for this,” Petty said.

When Todd Petty officially took over the Texas Tech women’s tennis program in 2009, he knew exactly the kind of players he wanted to bring to Lubbock. While every coach can covet the prized recruits who will be courted by top teams across the nation, Petty wanted the kind of player that could embody what it would take to put Tech women’s tennis on the map. He wanted players who were willing to work, get their hands dirty and build something.