OJAI, Calif. – It was a case of déjà vu on Thursday afternoon in California, as the Sun Devil women's tennis team were again knotted up at 3-3 with the deciding point on the line against the University of Southern California.
Unfortunately, the result was the same, as the Trojans (13-9, 6-4) knocked ASU (14-7, 7-3) out of the Pac-12 Tournament at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.
"Another one that came down to the wire against USC and unfortunately we were not able to pull it out," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "We certainly had our chances, but credit USC for also battling to the end. We came out very strong in the doubles to secure the point and the singles matches were a dogfight.
"Overall we have had a good year and now are looking forward to the NCAA's in a couple of weeks."
The match started just as coach McInerney wanted, with the doubles coming out with fire in the belly. Senior Alex Osborne – who knows what it takes to excel at the highest level after capturing the Pac-12 doubles title last season – and partner Nicole Fossa Huergo set the tone by jumping out to a 3-0 lead on court one over No. 41 Rianna Valdes and Jessica Failla. They would finish the upset with a 6-2 victory help clinch the doubles point and the 1-0 lead.
Singles started with a split in the first set, as the Devils took control of courts one, five and six early on. Senior Kassidy Jump – ranked No. 63 nationally – had previously upset then-No. 23 Gabby Smith in Tempe, but this time drew No. 37 Jessica Failla on court one. Despite a 5-3 lead in the first set, Failla would rally to take the first set, 7-5, putting Jump on the ropes. Like she has all season, Jump battled back, winning the final two sets, 6-3, 7-5, to win the match for yet another upset and tie the score at 3-all. At one point in the third set, Failla had leads of 4-1 and 5-4 before Jump's rally.
Just as impressive was the work junior Kelley Anderson was putting in on court three in her first-ever Pac-12 tournament appearance. Anderson was down 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4 in the first set before turning things around to win it 7-6(7) over Rianna Valdes. Valdes would eventually force a third set with a 6-4 win in the second, and the match victory to make it a 3-2 advantage for USC.
On court five, freshman Savannah Slaysman battled tremendously, cruising to a 6-3, 7-5 win in straight sets over Madison Westby for the second Devils' point of the match.
The final point of the match came down to Gussie "The Grinder" O'Sullivan, who did just that the entire match. After dropping the first set 7-5, she battled out of a 5-5 tie to a 7-5 victory of her own in the second to force a deciding third set for the entire match. USC's Angela Kulikov would eventually prevail, winning 6-1 in the final set.
The Devils will now await their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Tuesday, May 2.
#27 [6] USC 4, #26 [11] Arizona State 3
Pac-12 Team Championships
April 27, 2017 - Ojai Valley Athletic Club (Ojai, Calif.)
DOUBLES
1. Osborne/Fossa-Huergo (ASU) def. #41 Valdes/Failla (USC) - 6-2
2. #48 Katz/Smith (USC) def. Anderson/Slaysman (ASU) - 6-2
3. Hampton/Jump (ASU) def. #80 Kulikov/Westby (USC) - 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
SINGLES
1. #63 Kassidy Jump (ASU) def. #37 Jessica Failla (USC) - 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
2. #28 Gabby Smith (USC) def. #121 Samantha Hampton (ASU) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Rianna Valdes (USC) def. #109 Kelley Anderson (ASU) - 6-4, 6-1
4. #122 Zoë Katz (USC) def. Nicole Fossa-Huergo (ASU) - 6-2, 7-6 (12)
5. Savannah Slaysman (ASU) def. Madison Westby (USC) - 6-3, 7-5
6. Angela Kulikov (USC) def. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) - 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: 5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6
Unfortunately, the result was the same, as the Trojans (13-9, 6-4) knocked ASU (14-7, 7-3) out of the Pac-12 Tournament at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.
"Another one that came down to the wire against USC and unfortunately we were not able to pull it out," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "We certainly had our chances, but credit USC for also battling to the end. We came out very strong in the doubles to secure the point and the singles matches were a dogfight.
"Overall we have had a good year and now are looking forward to the NCAA's in a couple of weeks."
The match started just as coach McInerney wanted, with the doubles coming out with fire in the belly. Senior Alex Osborne – who knows what it takes to excel at the highest level after capturing the Pac-12 doubles title last season – and partner Nicole Fossa Huergo set the tone by jumping out to a 3-0 lead on court one over No. 41 Rianna Valdes and Jessica Failla. They would finish the upset with a 6-2 victory help clinch the doubles point and the 1-0 lead.
Singles started with a split in the first set, as the Devils took control of courts one, five and six early on. Senior Kassidy Jump – ranked No. 63 nationally – had previously upset then-No. 23 Gabby Smith in Tempe, but this time drew No. 37 Jessica Failla on court one. Despite a 5-3 lead in the first set, Failla would rally to take the first set, 7-5, putting Jump on the ropes. Like she has all season, Jump battled back, winning the final two sets, 6-3, 7-5, to win the match for yet another upset and tie the score at 3-all. At one point in the third set, Failla had leads of 4-1 and 5-4 before Jump's rally.
Just as impressive was the work junior Kelley Anderson was putting in on court three in her first-ever Pac-12 tournament appearance. Anderson was down 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4 in the first set before turning things around to win it 7-6(7) over Rianna Valdes. Valdes would eventually force a third set with a 6-4 win in the second, and the match victory to make it a 3-2 advantage for USC.
On court five, freshman Savannah Slaysman battled tremendously, cruising to a 6-3, 7-5 win in straight sets over Madison Westby for the second Devils' point of the match.
The final point of the match came down to Gussie "The Grinder" O'Sullivan, who did just that the entire match. After dropping the first set 7-5, she battled out of a 5-5 tie to a 7-5 victory of her own in the second to force a deciding third set for the entire match. USC's Angela Kulikov would eventually prevail, winning 6-1 in the final set.
The Devils will now await their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Tuesday, May 2.
#27 [6] USC 4, #26 [11] Arizona State 3
Pac-12 Team Championships
April 27, 2017 - Ojai Valley Athletic Club (Ojai, Calif.)
DOUBLES
1. Osborne/Fossa-Huergo (ASU) def. #41 Valdes/Failla (USC) - 6-2
2. #48 Katz/Smith (USC) def. Anderson/Slaysman (ASU) - 6-2
3. Hampton/Jump (ASU) def. #80 Kulikov/Westby (USC) - 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
SINGLES
1. #63 Kassidy Jump (ASU) def. #37 Jessica Failla (USC) - 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
2. #28 Gabby Smith (USC) def. #121 Samantha Hampton (ASU) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Rianna Valdes (USC) def. #109 Kelley Anderson (ASU) - 6-4, 6-1
4. #122 Zoë Katz (USC) def. Nicole Fossa-Huergo (ASU) - 6-2, 7-6 (12)
5. Savannah Slaysman (ASU) def. Madison Westby (USC) - 6-3, 7-5
6. Angela Kulikov (USC) def. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) - 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: 5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6