TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State women's tennis team will take to the courts in cooler weather over the next week, as they travel to California for two different tournaments.
A majority of the women will kick off the 2015-16 season at the Cal Nike Invitational from Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4 in Berkeley, Calif.
"It's a good tournament at Cal," said head coach Sheila McInerney, now in her 32nd year at ASU. "There is probably going to be about 8-10 kids that are preseason ranked in the ITA, which is great for our kids to get an opportunity for some good wins. As much as anything, use it to get back in the playing mode."
Senior Ebony Panoho, juniors Kassidy Jump and Alexandra Osborne and freshman Sammi Hampton will represent the Devils in Berkeley.
Last season, Panoho went all the way to the semifinals of the Cal Nike Invitational, losing to the eventual tournament winner in straight sets. She would finish the season 25-10 and holds a 47-30 record in her three seasons as a Sun Devil.
As the women's No. 3 singles player, Jump finished 25-11 in 2014-15. She also competed in the tournament last season, getting knocked out in the blue singles consolation bracket.
While Osborne looks to build and take another step this season, Hampton aims to make an impact right out of the gate in her first collegiate tournament.
All-American Championships
No. 26 Desirae Krawczyk and her doubles partner Stephanie Vlad -- ranked No. 6 together -- start their senior year at the All-American Championships in Los Angeles, Calif.
Krawczyk starts qualifying on Oct. 6, while Vlad joins her for doubles play starting on Oct. 8.
"I played it last year and didn't get the results I wanted," Krawczyk said. "This year, I'm a senior and I think I just need to go out there and enjoy it. I need to go out there and play as well as I can."
Qualifying for the tournament isn't easy, and Krawczyk's ranking allows her to automatically advance through prequalifying.
"It's just a privilege to be in the tournament," McInerney said. "There are literally no easy matches -- you're talking about the best 64 kids in the country." Both tournaments will allow the women to see where they stack up against some of the top talent in the country. "It's a good way to start this year and see where they're at," McInerney said. "It's a great tournament and you're among the elite players, so I think that's always a great feeling." UPDATE -Hampton hits the court on Friday at 10 a.m. PST against Jana McCord of St. Mary's. -Osborne's first match will be Friday at 10:45 a.m. PST against Nevada's Claudia Herrero. -Jump -- given the No. 5 seed in the tournament -- will battle Davidson's Kristy Jorgenson on Friday at 11:15 a.m. PST. -Lastly, Panoho takes on Nevada's Sheila Morales on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Follow their results at the link above.