WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Sun Devil duo of Lauryn John-Baptiste and Ilze Hattingh saw their stellar debut season come to a close Saturday in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Doubles Tournament in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"It was a tough match for the girls today," associate head coach Matt Langley said.
The two newcomers became the first Sun Devils since 2016 to earn All-America honors when they defeated an N.C. State pairing Friday in the Sweet Sixteen round.
Saturday's match with LSU didn't get off to a great start as the duel was initially postponed due to weather, but once the rain subsided, the Devils got up 2-1 quickly before another system came through and force the outdoor matches inside.
"the conditions weren't easy for both teams, having to deal with a couple of rain delays, starting outdoors and then going inside," Langley said. "It took us a little while to get adjusted once we moved indoors. We lost a couple of consecutive deuce games and the momentum got away from us a little bit there in the first set."
Under the roof, the tables turned on ASU as the LSU duo stormed back to take the first set 6-3.
"I'm happy with how the girls battled back in the second set after being down 0-2, but hat's off to LSU as they stayed aggressive and never really let us settle in," Langley said.
LSU stayed on the roll as they went on to take the second set 6-4 to advance to the national semifinal and eliminate the Devils' duo.
John-Baptiste/Hattingh finish the season with a 19-3 record and at one point were a perfect 12-0 in their first season as a doubles team.
"We'll learn from this and continue to get better though," Langley said. "What a great accomplishment for Lauryn and Ilze, though to receive All-America honors in their first seasons. They improved immensely throughout the year and I believe they still have a lot of room for growth, which is really exciting."
Their defeat marks the end of the Sun Devil women's tennis season. Despite the early bumps from injuries, the season was another successful one for coach Sheila McInerney and Langley, and the future looks bright with much of this year's squad coming back to Tempe next season.
"It was a tough match for the girls today," associate head coach Matt Langley said.
The two newcomers became the first Sun Devils since 2016 to earn All-America honors when they defeated an N.C. State pairing Friday in the Sweet Sixteen round.
Saturday's match with LSU didn't get off to a great start as the duel was initially postponed due to weather, but once the rain subsided, the Devils got up 2-1 quickly before another system came through and force the outdoor matches inside.
"the conditions weren't easy for both teams, having to deal with a couple of rain delays, starting outdoors and then going inside," Langley said. "It took us a little while to get adjusted once we moved indoors. We lost a couple of consecutive deuce games and the momentum got away from us a little bit there in the first set."
Under the roof, the tables turned on ASU as the LSU duo stormed back to take the first set 6-3.
"I'm happy with how the girls battled back in the second set after being down 0-2, but hat's off to LSU as they stayed aggressive and never really let us settle in," Langley said.
LSU stayed on the roll as they went on to take the second set 6-4 to advance to the national semifinal and eliminate the Devils' duo.
John-Baptiste/Hattingh finish the season with a 19-3 record and at one point were a perfect 12-0 in their first season as a doubles team.
"We'll learn from this and continue to get better though," Langley said. "What a great accomplishment for Lauryn and Ilze, though to receive All-America honors in their first seasons. They improved immensely throughout the year and I believe they still have a lot of room for growth, which is really exciting."
Their defeat marks the end of the Sun Devil women's tennis season. Despite the early bumps from injuries, the season was another successful one for coach Sheila McInerney and Langley, and the future looks bright with much of this year's squad coming back to Tempe next season.