TEMPE – All-American Lauryn John-Baptiste sent the Sun Devils home with a big win when she clinched the match for Arizona State in a comeback effort on court two Sunday afternoon at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
"It's nice to get a walk-off win like that," coach Sheila McInerney said. "We've been in that situation a couple of times this year, so it's nice to get one."
ASU jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the match when the Devils got wins on courts one and two in doubles in less than 30 minutes.
No. 61 Alicea/Hampton moved up to court two for the first time this season and didn't disappoint by downing their Pioneer opponents 6-2, moments after No. 3 John-Baptiste/Hattingh cruised to a win on court one.
Denver tied things up in singles play, taking the first match on court one, but ASU responded shortly after when Samantha Alicea swept her way to victory on court six.
The frosh got through the first set relatively unscathed, taking a set advantage with a score of 6-2. She finished her Pioneer opponent in straight sets by winning 6-4 in the second.
Denver wouldn't go away and stayed with the Devils until the end.
When ASU got a win on court three from Tereza Kolarova, Denver grabbed one back on court five to bring things back to even.
"Sam Alicea got off the court very quickly and Terka got off the court fast too, which helped us get on top and come away with the win today," McInerney said.
It all came down to court two where John-Baptiste found herself in a dogfight.
John-Baptiste got down early as her opponent took the first set 6-1. She got off to a slow start in the second set, finding herself in a 5-4 hole and facing match point before storming back to eventually force a tiebreak and win the set 7-6.
"Chang from Denver was really tough in the third set and Lauryn was down a couple match points in that second set," McInerney said. "She battled back really well and in the third set it was really nip and tuck. She hit a couple of really nice shots in the tiebreaker and I'm happy for her."
She was the last court in play with the match knotted at 3-3 and played her way into a winner-take-all tiebreak. Once again, down to her last point, John-Baptiste battled to the win to clinch a match for the first time in 2019.
"I'm happy for the kids and I'm proud of the way the girls fought," McInerney said. "We knew Denver was a good team and they were going to fight hard. They've got good coaching and they took us to three sets on a couple of courts."
ASU will see out the rest of its 2019 campaign in the comfy confines of the Whiteman Tennis Center as it hosts Oregon and Arizona in two consecutive weekends to close the regular season.
CK
"It's nice to get a walk-off win like that," coach Sheila McInerney said. "We've been in that situation a couple of times this year, so it's nice to get one."
ASU jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the match when the Devils got wins on courts one and two in doubles in less than 30 minutes.
No. 61 Alicea/Hampton moved up to court two for the first time this season and didn't disappoint by downing their Pioneer opponents 6-2, moments after No. 3 John-Baptiste/Hattingh cruised to a win on court one.
Denver tied things up in singles play, taking the first match on court one, but ASU responded shortly after when Samantha Alicea swept her way to victory on court six.
The frosh got through the first set relatively unscathed, taking a set advantage with a score of 6-2. She finished her Pioneer opponent in straight sets by winning 6-4 in the second.
Denver wouldn't go away and stayed with the Devils until the end.
When ASU got a win on court three from Tereza Kolarova, Denver grabbed one back on court five to bring things back to even.
"Sam Alicea got off the court very quickly and Terka got off the court fast too, which helped us get on top and come away with the win today," McInerney said.
It all came down to court two where John-Baptiste found herself in a dogfight.
John-Baptiste got down early as her opponent took the first set 6-1. She got off to a slow start in the second set, finding herself in a 5-4 hole and facing match point before storming back to eventually force a tiebreak and win the set 7-6.
"Chang from Denver was really tough in the third set and Lauryn was down a couple match points in that second set," McInerney said. "She battled back really well and in the third set it was really nip and tuck. She hit a couple of really nice shots in the tiebreaker and I'm happy for her."
She was the last court in play with the match knotted at 3-3 and played her way into a winner-take-all tiebreak. Once again, down to her last point, John-Baptiste battled to the win to clinch a match for the first time in 2019.
"I'm happy for the kids and I'm proud of the way the girls fought," McInerney said. "We knew Denver was a good team and they were going to fight hard. They've got good coaching and they took us to three sets on a couple of courts."
ASU will see out the rest of its 2019 campaign in the comfy confines of the Whiteman Tennis Center as it hosts Oregon and Arizona in two consecutive weekends to close the regular season.
CK