March 25, 2000
AUSTIN, Texas - Third-ranked Arizona State women's tennis was upset by 24th-ranked Texas 6-3 at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center in Austin, Texas, this afternoon. The loss drops the Sun Devils' overall record to 10-4 while the Lady Longhorns improve to 9-5.
Down 4-2 after singles play, ASU couldn't manage a must-have doubles sweep as Karin Palme and Kerry Giardino were the only doubles winners for the Lady Devils, defeating Michelle Faucher and Rebekah Forney 8-5 on court three. Palme and Giardino are undefeated as a doubles tandem this season with a 10-0 record.
The Sun Devils played without it's No. 1 player, 10th-ranked Allison Bradshaw, and only earned singles wins on the third and fifth courts. ASU's Kerry Giardino topped Texas' Vladka Uhlirova 6-3, 6-2 and Megan Yeats posted her team-leading 21st victory of the season when she defeated the Longhorns' Kaysie Smashey 6-3, 6-2
The Sun Devils were briefly ranked second by the ITA in the latest rankings released March 22. Unfortunately for Arizona State, the rankings were miscalculated. The correct rankings keep Stanford in the top spot, but move Georgia from No. 5 to No. 2, bumping Arizona State to the third spot. Wake Forest is fourth and Pepperdine is fifth. The good news is that the No. 3 ranking is still the program's highest ever, surpassing last week's No. 4 mark. Prior to this season, the program's highest ranking was achieved during the 1997 season, at No. 6.
Arizona State will not compete next weekend but return home to host Pac-10 opponents Washington on April 7 at 1:30 p.m. and Washington State on April 8 at noon.
No. 3 Arizona State 3 (10-4) No. 24 Texas 6 (9-5)
Singles
1. Janet Walker (UT) def. Karin Palme (ASU) 7-5, 7-6
2. Michelle Faucher (UT) def. Faye DeVera (ASU) 6-7, 6-1, 6-4
3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) def. Vladka Uhlirova (UT) 6-3, 6-2
4. Rebekah Forney (UT) def. Mhairi Brown (ASU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Megan Yeats (ASU) def. Kaysie Smashey (UT) 6-3, 6-2
6. Joanne Masongsong (UT) def. Celena McCoury (ASU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. Walker/Uhlirova (UT) def. Brown/Yeats (ASU) 9-8
2. Smashey/Masongsong (UT) def. DeVera/McCoury (ASU) 8-6
3. Palme/Giardino (ASU) def. Faucher/Forney (UT) 8-5