INDIANAPOLIS – Sun Devil newcomers Lauryn John-Baptiste and Ilze Hattingh are heading to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this May to compete as a tandem in the NCAA Women's Doubles Championships in just their first season as a duo.
The Devils' pairing finished the regular season with just one blemish on an otherwise perfect resume. They won 16 matches in dual-match play and dropped just one, putting them in prime position to advance to the elite field of 32 as a top-15 team in the ITA doubles rankings.
Their Pac-12 tournament run, though shortened by a team defeat in the semifinal, included another impressive resume-builder with a victory over one of the top-seeded pairs in the tournament, No. 6 Hart/Fleming of UCLA.
John-Baptiste/Hattingh was ASU's most consistent combination this season, at one point having won 12-straight matches. The two newcomers didn't start 2018 as partners, and didn't make their debut on the ITA doubles ranking until Feb. 7 before being left off again for the next month and-a-half.
They made their reappearance on March 20 and remained in the top-50, steadily climbing the chart to where they sit today at 15. The next ITA doubles ranking will be released May 3.
Individually, true freshman John-Baptiste was listed as an alternate for the NCAA Singles Championships.
Playing on court one for most of the season, John-Baptiste led the team in match-clinching wins during the regular season with four, and was ranked No. 61 in the latest ITA singles poll.
The NCAA Women's Doubles and Singles Championships will follow the team championship rounds later this month in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Devils' pairing finished the regular season with just one blemish on an otherwise perfect resume. They won 16 matches in dual-match play and dropped just one, putting them in prime position to advance to the elite field of 32 as a top-15 team in the ITA doubles rankings.
Their Pac-12 tournament run, though shortened by a team defeat in the semifinal, included another impressive resume-builder with a victory over one of the top-seeded pairs in the tournament, No. 6 Hart/Fleming of UCLA.
John-Baptiste/Hattingh was ASU's most consistent combination this season, at one point having won 12-straight matches. The two newcomers didn't start 2018 as partners, and didn't make their debut on the ITA doubles ranking until Feb. 7 before being left off again for the next month and-a-half.
They made their reappearance on March 20 and remained in the top-50, steadily climbing the chart to where they sit today at 15. The next ITA doubles ranking will be released May 3.
Individually, true freshman John-Baptiste was listed as an alternate for the NCAA Singles Championships.
Playing on court one for most of the season, John-Baptiste led the team in match-clinching wins during the regular season with four, and was ranked No. 61 in the latest ITA singles poll.
The NCAA Women's Doubles and Singles Championships will follow the team championship rounds later this month in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.