NORMAN, Okla. – Sasa Klanecek got her first singles win of the season in her return to the Sun Devil lineup, but Arizona State dropped a tight road contest to Oklahoma, 4-2, Saturday in Norman.
The Sun Devils (4-3) got some reinforcements for Saturday's matchup against the Sooners (5-1) as Lauryn John-Baptiste and Klanecek both returned to the courts after missing some time to start the season.
"It was good to get Lauryn, Sasa and Sammi back in the lineup," coach Sheila McInerney said. "They're really big for our team and having them back should help us moving forward."
John-Baptiste's reunion with Ilze Hattingh meant ASU could run out the No. 7 tandem in the nation on court one.
The All-American duo picked up right where they left off, outplaying their Sooner opponents and winning the doubles matchup, 6-2.
OU grabbed court three right after the Devils took court one and the doubles point came down to Kolarova/Slaysman, who had their hands full on court two with the No. 51 pair from Oklahoma. The Devils fought to keep the match close and made it 5-5 before the women of OU won two-straight games to take the match.
"Unfortunately we let the doubles point slip away after having solid leads on court 2 and 3," McInerney said. "I feel that gave Oklahoma momentum and they rolled with it for awhile in the singles."
The hosts jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a win on court four, then extended it to 3-0 after a sweep on two.
Sammi Hampton earned her second victory of the season when she took a three-set win on court five to put ASU on the board. She won the first set 6-4 then flipped scores with Ivana Corley in the second before wrapping up the win with a 6-2 third set.
The Devils got one more back once Klanecek made easy work of Kianah Motosono, 6-2, 6-3, to put herself in the win column for the first time this season.
Despite battling back to split on court three, Tereza Kolarova couldn't complete the comeback to tie the match up at 3 apiece. Instead, the Sooners clinched the match before Hattingh could finish on court one to make the final 4-2.
"We bounced back pretty well, but could not get that last momentum swing," McInerney said. "It's a tough loss for sure, but give Oklahoma credit for playing a very solid match."
The short trip to the Midwest this weekend will be followed up by another road trip to Southern California next weekend. ASU will have its hands full with a visit to No. 7 Pepperdine in Malibu, and a trip to San Diego State.
The Sun Devils (4-3) got some reinforcements for Saturday's matchup against the Sooners (5-1) as Lauryn John-Baptiste and Klanecek both returned to the courts after missing some time to start the season.
"It was good to get Lauryn, Sasa and Sammi back in the lineup," coach Sheila McInerney said. "They're really big for our team and having them back should help us moving forward."
John-Baptiste's reunion with Ilze Hattingh meant ASU could run out the No. 7 tandem in the nation on court one.
The All-American duo picked up right where they left off, outplaying their Sooner opponents and winning the doubles matchup, 6-2.
OU grabbed court three right after the Devils took court one and the doubles point came down to Kolarova/Slaysman, who had their hands full on court two with the No. 51 pair from Oklahoma. The Devils fought to keep the match close and made it 5-5 before the women of OU won two-straight games to take the match.
"Unfortunately we let the doubles point slip away after having solid leads on court 2 and 3," McInerney said. "I feel that gave Oklahoma momentum and they rolled with it for awhile in the singles."
The hosts jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a win on court four, then extended it to 3-0 after a sweep on two.
Sammi Hampton earned her second victory of the season when she took a three-set win on court five to put ASU on the board. She won the first set 6-4 then flipped scores with Ivana Corley in the second before wrapping up the win with a 6-2 third set.
The Devils got one more back once Klanecek made easy work of Kianah Motosono, 6-2, 6-3, to put herself in the win column for the first time this season.
Despite battling back to split on court three, Tereza Kolarova couldn't complete the comeback to tie the match up at 3 apiece. Instead, the Sooners clinched the match before Hattingh could finish on court one to make the final 4-2.
"We bounced back pretty well, but could not get that last momentum swing," McInerney said. "It's a tough loss for sure, but give Oklahoma credit for playing a very solid match."
The short trip to the Midwest this weekend will be followed up by another road trip to Southern California next weekend. ASU will have its hands full with a visit to No. 7 Pepperdine in Malibu, and a trip to San Diego State.