May 18, 2000
MALIBU, Calif. - The 11th-ranked Arizona State's women's tennis team upset sixth-ranked Duke 5-2 in a Round-of-16 match at the 19th annual NCAA Championships at Pepperdine's Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.
ASU's lone senior, Kerry Giardino, teamed up with junior Karin Palme to clinch the match at No. 3 doubles. The tandem defeated Duke's Kathy Sell and Katie Granson 8-6. Giardino and Palme have yet to be defeated this season, holding a 12-0 record.
Arizona State advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1997, and will face fourth-ranked Florida on Fri., May 19 at 8 a.m. Duke, a final four team in 1999, finishes its season at 23-6.
In a battle of the Sun Devil vs. the Blue Devil, ASU's Megan Yeats scored first, earning a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Duke's Hillary Adams on court five. The freshman improved her singles record to 27-9, leading the team. The Blue Devils countered on court two, with 37th-ranked Kathy Sell topping No. 24 Karin Palme 6-1, 6-2.
Duke took a 2-1 match lead when Erica Biro topped Faye DeVera in straight sets on court four. Arizona State's 15th-ranked sophomore Allison Bradshaw then posted a 6-2, 6-0 win over Duke's 15th-ranked Megan Miller to even the match before Giardino put the team ahead for good with her win on the third court. Freshman Mhairi Brown's win on the sixth court gave the Sun Devils their 4-2 lead after singles play.
This afternoon marked the second time Arizona State has met Duke in the NCAA Championships. Duke defeated the Sun Devils 5-2 in the second round of the 1991 tournament, but with today's victory, ASU takes a 3-2 edge in the teams' overall series.
No. 11 Arizona State 5 (15-7) No. 6 Duke 2 (23-6)
Singles 1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. (12) Megan Miller (DUKE) 6-2, 6-0 2. (37) Kathy Sell (DUKE) def. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) 6-1, 6-2 3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) def. Katie Granson (DUKE) 6-3, 7-6 4. Erica Biro (DUKE) def. Faye DeVera (ASU) 6-3, 6-4 5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) def. Hillary Adams (DUKE) 6-0, 6-2 6. Mhairi Brown (ASU) def. Prim Siripipat (DUKE) 7-6, 6-2
Order of finish: #5, #2, #4, #1, #3, #6
Doubles 1. (18) Bradshaw/Celena McCoury (ASU) vs. (21) Brooke Siebel/Biro (DUKE) suspended at 6-7 2. Yeats/Brown (ASU) vs. Miller/Adams (DUKE) suspended at 1-0 3. Palme/Giardino (ASU) def. Sell/Granson (DUKE) 8-6