TEMPE – The Sun Devils will close the book on their non-conference schedule this weekend as they welcome the No. 42 Denver Pioneers to Whiteman Tennis Sunday for a morning match set to get going at 9 a.m.
"This is our Pac-12 weekend off so we're pleased to get a good team like Denver in," coach Sheila McInerney said. "They're conference champions, always in the tournament, they beat Colorado and Utah pretty handily, so we know they're a good one."
Although the Devils dropped their last outing, McInerney's squad has won four of its last five, is 4-1 at home against non-conference opponents in 2019, and historically owns a perfect record over the visiting Pioneers.
ASU won its first and only other meeting with Denver back in 2006 in a dominant 7-0 sweep.
The Pioneers are coming into this weekend's meeting as a team on a hotstreak, having won five straight with its last win coming over Pac-12 foe Utah. Their 13-3 record and 3-0 conference record has coach Christian Bass' squad in the driver's seat in the Summit League, on pace for their sixth-straight Summit League title.
"Christian and David have done a great job with that team," McInerney said. "They have those kids competing really hard this year, so we know we're going to have to be at our best."
Sitting at .500 with three matches to go, the homestretch for the Devils that includes Denver, Oregon and the school down south is vital to keep ASU's impressive streak of NCAA appearances alive.
"We certainly have to do some work to make the tournament," McInerney said. "We had a good win against Washington State where it's difficult to win indoors. We just haven't closed enough tough matches and against good teams and you have to do that if you want to take that next step."
Denver brings just one ranked player into Tempe in No. 99 Bianca Mok. The senior has only been defeated twice this season on court one and will come up against Ilze Hattingh.
Hattingh has faced more ranked opponents than any other Sun Devil this year with Mok being her 10th in 18 matches played this season. No. 100 Lauryn John-Baptiste has faced the second most, coming up against seven ranked women on courts one and two this season.
The Sun Devils and Pioneers will hit the courts at Whiteman Sunday morning. Live stats will be available on thesundevils.com and a recap of the match will be available after the event.