TEMPE, Ariz. -- After a heartbreaker in Malibu earlier this week, the Arizona State women's tennis team bounced back with their second-straight sweep at Whiteman Tennis Center.
It didn't come easy for the No. 27-ranked Sun Devils, as it took comebacks on several courts in doubles and singles to accomplish the 6-0 victory over San Jose State.
"We came out and played really good doubles," head coach Sheila McInerney said. "They won the doubles point against (No. 54) Arizona yesterday and their No. 1 team is quite good. Getting off the doubles point helped us and gave us some momentum. I thought No. 3-6 we played really well and got off to good starts pretty quick. We know their 1-2 are very good."
As coach said, the doubles continued to roll, as ASU won their sixth-straight doubles point this season.
Senior Ebony Panoho and junior Alexandra Osborne -- who upset the No. 3 doubles team from Pepperdine this week -- showed heart with a strong battle on court one. The No. 54 doubles pair started off down 1-2 and 2-3 before winning four-straight points to win 6-3 over Marie Klocker and Gaelle Rey.
Not moments later, junior Kassidy Jump and freshman Sammi Hampton finished Miyo Kobayashi and Justine Deleval, 6-2 for the doubles match point.
However, on court two, a familiar duo to Sun Devil fans quietly got back into action together. Seniors Desirae Krawczyk and Stephanie Vlad -- ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll -- played together again for the first time since the fall. The two were a point away from clinching the match themselves, as the match with Sybille Gauvain and Marine Dans was abandoned at 5-2.
"They just need to play," said McInerney of the pair reuninting. "Particularly Stephanie. When you don't play doubles for a while, it affects you even more than singles because it's so quick. The more they can play together the better they're going to get. It's going to help us down the road for sure."
In singles, the two had to battle about as hard as anyone did during the day.
No. 36 Desirae Krawczyk lost the first set to Gauvain 4-6 and was going point-for-point with her to start the second set. But Krawczyk got a boost of momentum after a long rally and went on to win the second 6-3 to force a 10-point tiebreak. The fire in the belly drove her to a 10-2 victory to clinch the final match of the day and give the Sun Devils a 6-0 win.
Vlad didn't need a third set to finish off Dans on court four, but she did have to come back in the first. She was down 4-5 before rallying for three-straight points to win 7-5 in the first set. She rolled that finish into the second set, winning handedly 6-1 for ASU's fourth and clinching match point.
"You expect that out of your seniors because of their experience," said McInerney. "That's tennis and that's why you play two out of three sets. If you're expecting easy matches, then you're in the wrong sport and you're not an ahtlete. You want it to be competitive and you want to have to battle. It was a good battle for sure."
That competitive edge can be seen in Hampton, as she won her sixth-straight match and is currently undefeated in regular season play during her rookie season. Coach McInerney is more than pleased, but knows their is still growing and maturation to be done on the horizon.
"She's playing well and we'll see down the road," McInerney said. "We have a match tomorrow -- and I don't know who she'll play -- and then (No. 5) Ohio State next week -- and they're very good 1-6. She still has her work cut out for her, but she's gained some confidence these last few matches which is good."
The Australian's -- Panoho and junior Gussie O'Sullivan -- both won their singles matches 6-2, 6-2 for the Sun Devils third and fifth point, respectively. The final Aussie to make up their trio, Osborne, played an exhibition match with freshman Andrea Vasiljevic and won 6-1, 6-3.
No. 27 Arizona State - 6, San Jose State - 0
February 20, 2016
Whiteman Tennis Center
Tempe, Ariz.
Doubles
1. Panoho/Osborne (ASU) def. Klocker/Rey (SJSU) -- 6-3
2. Krawczyk/Vlad (ASU) vs. Gauvain/Dans (SJSU) -- Abandoned
3. Jump/Hampton (ASU) def. Kobayashi/Deleval (SJSU) -- 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. Desirae Krawczyk (ASU) def. Sybille Gauvain (SJSU) -- 4-6, 6-3, [10-2]
2. Kassidy Jump (ASU) def. Marie Klocker (SJSU) -- 6-1, 5-7, Abandoned
3. Ebony Panoho (ASU) def. Gaelle Rey (SJSU) -- 6-2, 6-2
4. Stephanie Vlad (ASU) def. Marine Dans (SJSU) -- 7-5, 6-1
5. Sammi Hampton (ASU) def. Miyo Kobayashi (SJSU) -- 6-1, 6-1
6. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) def. Justine Deleval (SJSU) -- 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 4, 6, 1
Exhibition
7. Alexandra Osborne (ASU) def. Andrea Vasiljevic (SJSU) -- 6-1, 6-3