ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Arizona women's golf team fended off the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday, winning the consolation match by a final of 3-2 at the East Lake Cup.
 
Sophomore Ya Chun Chang was once again the star for the Wildcats, taking down Duke's Miranda Wang 5&4. This is the second day in a row Chang has won 5&4 and also the second day in a row Chang finished her match at 2-under through 14 holes.
 
Freshman Therese Warner caught fire on her second nine and defeated Gina Kim 3&2 to claim the Wildcats' second point. Warner and Kim were all square through nine, but Warner won the next four holes to take a vice grip on the match.
 
Freshman Vivian Hou closed out the win for Arizona, holding on to beat Jaravee Boonchant 3&1. The matchup featured two golfers in the top 30 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Duke's Erica Shepherd defeated senior Sandra Nordaas 4&3 in Match 4, and Ana Belac narrowly won the anchor match over freshman Gile Bite Starkute 2&1. 
 
"It was a great week," said head coach Laura Ianello. "The golf course was very challenging with the wind and the rain today, but the team overcame it and did great. I think anytime you can get the match play experience against great teams – teams we will see at the national championship – it's great experience. Especially with three freshmen in the lineup. We have one tournament left this fall, and then we will get ready for spring. Any experience on a course like East Lake, a championship course, is dynamite."
 
It will be a quick turnaround for the Wildcats, as they are scheduled to compete at the Pac-12 Preview in Kailua Kona, Hawai'i on Monday.
 
For more information about the Arizona women's golf team, follow @ArizonaWGolf on Twitter and at ArizonaWildcats.com.
 
Match Play Results
Match 1: Therese Warner (ARIZ) def. Gina Kim (DUKE) 3&2
Match 2: Ya Chun Chang (ARIZ) def. Miranda Wang (DUKE) 5&4
Match 3: Vivian Hou (ARIZ) def. Jaravee Boonchant (DUKE) 3&1
Match 4: Erica Shepherd (DUKE) def. Sandra Nordaas (ARIZ) 4&3
Match 5: Ana Belac (DUKE) def. Gile Bite Starkute (ARIZ) 2&1