TEMPE, Ariz. – With the Territorial Cup® Series knotted up at 6.5 to 6.5, Sun Devil women's tennis has the opportunity to put ASU out in front with a month left in the hunt for the cup.
The No. 26 Sun Devils (13-6, 6-3) host the Wildcats (11-11, 2-7) on Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m. at Whiteman Tennis Center. It's giveaway galore as well, as fans will receive free Papa John's pizza, the first 150 attendees also receive a free t-shirt courtesy of All About Tennis, and the 942 Crew will hand out Pitchfork socks to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"It's always a big weekend playing your rival," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "It's nice we have them at home and it is Senior Day. They've all done a great job for the program over the last four years. It's a culmination of everything. We're looking forward to it. We feel we're playing pretty well (after the upset of No. 22 UCLA)."
McInerney and her squad appear to have sealed her 30th-straight NCAA appearance with their upset of the Bruins five days ago, handing UCLA just their second loss in Pac-12 play. They nearly swept the Los Angeles schools, as they dropped a nail-biter with No. 32 USC, 4-3.
Seniors Kassidy Jump, Alex Osborne and Gussie O'Sullivan will all take the courts at Whiteman for the final time wearing the maroon & gold – barring hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Jump – currently ranked No. 60 in singles – has demonstrated what hard work and dedication can do in four short years. The criminal justice & criminology major has played all four years in singles and doubles, moving from court six her freshman year, to court three in year two, court two her junior year and court one this season. She is currently tied for sixth in all-time singles victories with 84 during her career. Just as impressive is her 84 victories in doubles as well, with a whopping 24 coming just this season with partner Sammi Hampton. Jump has the opportunity to "jump" up into sole possession of fifth place with at least three more victories in singles.
"She's done a great job for us and has been invaluable, especially on court three in doubles," said McInerney. "Her and Sammi have been really good down there. Every year she's played singles and doubles for us. She's coming into her own."
The first Australian, Alex Osborne, will forever have her name cemented in ASU women's tennis history. In 2016, her and partner Ebony Panoho captured the program's first Pac-12 Doubles Championship and eventually earned First-Team All-American honors with a deep run in the NCAA Championships. Osborne owns 70 doubles victories and 24 in singles during her four-year campaign. This year, she served as the co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee within Sun Devil Athletics.
"Alex has done a great job for us in doubles," said McInerney. "She won the program's first Pac-12 Doubles Championship last year with Ebony [Panoho]. This year she's been on court one with Nicole [Fossa Huergo] and has really helped Nicole a lot in the doubles. She brings a great energy and is a great kid. Alex came in in January her freshman year, so she's technically going to graduate in three and a half years. She's done a great job in the classroom and of course on the court."
Last but not least, the Grinder. Gussie O'Sullivan – also known as "The Grinder" for her grind-it-out style of play on court six – has helped clinch two of the program's biggest victories over the last two seasons. In 2016, she clinched the deciding point over then-No. 20 Stanford for just the second time in program history. This past weekend, O'Sullivan rallied to clinch the final point over No. 22 UCLA, becoming the first time in over a decade that ASU has defeated the Bruins' program in back-to-back meetings. Her attitude and gamer mindset is an irreplaceable trait.
"Gussie 'The Grinder' -- all four years she always gets the job done and works hard," said McInerney. "She's not the most physically talented kid in the world, but you're going to get her heart and soul every practice and every match. She's been a four-year starter and has been instrumental in our success over the past four years."
While a Territorial Cup® point is on the line and it is Senior Day, the match also presents an opportunity for the Devils to place third in the conference during the regular season – which would be their highest finish in program history after finishing fourth just a season ago. If UCLA falls to USC and the Devils capture the victory, ASU would place third and earn the third seed entering the Pac-12 Tournament – which is also the first year the conference is playing a team format. In previous years, the Ojai Tournament has been an individual competition.
First serve is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and will be live streamed for free via ASU Live Stream 2.
Pat's Run will occur in the Tempe/ASU area early Saturday morning, thus creating traffic restrictions. Please check here for alternative routes and the times that roads will re-open.
The No. 26 Sun Devils (13-6, 6-3) host the Wildcats (11-11, 2-7) on Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m. at Whiteman Tennis Center. It's giveaway galore as well, as fans will receive free Papa John's pizza, the first 150 attendees also receive a free t-shirt courtesy of All About Tennis, and the 942 Crew will hand out Pitchfork socks to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"It's always a big weekend playing your rival," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "It's nice we have them at home and it is Senior Day. They've all done a great job for the program over the last four years. It's a culmination of everything. We're looking forward to it. We feel we're playing pretty well (after the upset of No. 22 UCLA)."
McInerney and her squad appear to have sealed her 30th-straight NCAA appearance with their upset of the Bruins five days ago, handing UCLA just their second loss in Pac-12 play. They nearly swept the Los Angeles schools, as they dropped a nail-biter with No. 32 USC, 4-3.
Seniors Kassidy Jump, Alex Osborne and Gussie O'Sullivan will all take the courts at Whiteman for the final time wearing the maroon & gold – barring hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Jump – currently ranked No. 60 in singles – has demonstrated what hard work and dedication can do in four short years. The criminal justice & criminology major has played all four years in singles and doubles, moving from court six her freshman year, to court three in year two, court two her junior year and court one this season. She is currently tied for sixth in all-time singles victories with 84 during her career. Just as impressive is her 84 victories in doubles as well, with a whopping 24 coming just this season with partner Sammi Hampton. Jump has the opportunity to "jump" up into sole possession of fifth place with at least three more victories in singles.
"She's done a great job for us and has been invaluable, especially on court three in doubles," said McInerney. "Her and Sammi have been really good down there. Every year she's played singles and doubles for us. She's coming into her own."
The first Australian, Alex Osborne, will forever have her name cemented in ASU women's tennis history. In 2016, her and partner Ebony Panoho captured the program's first Pac-12 Doubles Championship and eventually earned First-Team All-American honors with a deep run in the NCAA Championships. Osborne owns 70 doubles victories and 24 in singles during her four-year campaign. This year, she served as the co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee within Sun Devil Athletics.
"Alex has done a great job for us in doubles," said McInerney. "She won the program's first Pac-12 Doubles Championship last year with Ebony [Panoho]. This year she's been on court one with Nicole [Fossa Huergo] and has really helped Nicole a lot in the doubles. She brings a great energy and is a great kid. Alex came in in January her freshman year, so she's technically going to graduate in three and a half years. She's done a great job in the classroom and of course on the court."
Last but not least, the Grinder. Gussie O'Sullivan – also known as "The Grinder" for her grind-it-out style of play on court six – has helped clinch two of the program's biggest victories over the last two seasons. In 2016, she clinched the deciding point over then-No. 20 Stanford for just the second time in program history. This past weekend, O'Sullivan rallied to clinch the final point over No. 22 UCLA, becoming the first time in over a decade that ASU has defeated the Bruins' program in back-to-back meetings. Her attitude and gamer mindset is an irreplaceable trait.
"Gussie 'The Grinder' -- all four years she always gets the job done and works hard," said McInerney. "She's not the most physically talented kid in the world, but you're going to get her heart and soul every practice and every match. She's been a four-year starter and has been instrumental in our success over the past four years."
While a Territorial Cup® point is on the line and it is Senior Day, the match also presents an opportunity for the Devils to place third in the conference during the regular season – which would be their highest finish in program history after finishing fourth just a season ago. If UCLA falls to USC and the Devils capture the victory, ASU would place third and earn the third seed entering the Pac-12 Tournament – which is also the first year the conference is playing a team format. In previous years, the Ojai Tournament has been an individual competition.
First serve is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and will be live streamed for free via ASU Live Stream 2.
Pat's Run will occur in the Tempe/ASU area early Saturday morning, thus creating traffic restrictions. Please check here for alternative routes and the times that roads will re-open.