TEMPE, Ariz. – After a historic 2022 season, which included a run to the Pac-12 Championship final and a 34th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the next chapter of Sun Devil Women's Tennis has finally arrived.
Head coach Sheila McInerney will begin her 39th season in Tempe when the Sun Devils host Grand Canyon (10 a.m.) and UC San Diego (3 p.m.) on Saturday, January 14 at the Whiteman Tennis Center in the opener of the 2023 campaign.
It's match week ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) January 9, 2023
We'll kick off our season with a doubleheader on Saturday against GCU (10 a.m.) and UCSD (3 p.m.) at the Whiteman Tennis Center ?? pic.twitter.com/xI2SypZ9Br
It marks the first of 14 home matches this season and will be the second double-header the team plays in a span of three days.
Six Sun Devils from last season's roster have returned this spring, and the team already sports a No. 19 overall ranking, according to the ITA.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
The Sun Devils will play five matches from January 14-21, and all will take place right here at home. After Saturday's two-for-one opener, the Sun Devils will welcome both Northern Arizona (10 a.m.) and New Mexico State (3 p.m.) on Monday, January 16.
On Saturday, January 21, they'll host Loyola Marymount at 12 p.m. – the final of a busy five-match homestand in the span of seven days.
They'll hit the road the following weekend, closing out January at the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend, where they're currently slated to meet UCF (January 28 at 2 p.m.) and either Auburn or UCSB the day after (January 29 at 10 a.m.).
After a brief weekend at home against both SMU and San Diego (February 3-4), the Sun Devils won't return to the Whiteman Tennis Center until the first weekend in March, when they'll see Baylor (March 4 at 11 a.m.) and Oregon (March 5 at 11 a.m.).
Sandwiched between those two homestands, the Sun Devils have a pair of tough tests on the road at Oklahoma (February 11 at 12 p.m.) and Ohio State (February 19 at 11 a.m.).
March is shaping up to be among the busiest stretches in the entire spring, as they'll play six times in three states. They'll draw Baylor, Oregon and Penn (March 11 at 12 p.m.) at home before a four-match road trip against Washington (March 17 at 1:30 p.m.), Washington State (March 19 11 a.m.), California (March 31 at 1:30 p.m.) and Stanford (April 1 at 12 p.m.).
A four-match homestand with USC (April 7 at 1:30 p.m.), UCLA (April 8 at 12 p.m.), Colorado (April 14 at 1:30 p.m.) and Utah (April 15 at 12 p.m.), just one match remains.
The Sun Devils will put a bow on the 2023 regular season with a trip to in-state rival Arizona (April 22 at 12 p.m.).
Attention will then shift to the postseason, where the Sun Devils will head to Ojai, California, for the annual Pac-12 Championships (April 26-29). Last spring, McInerney and the Sun Devils reached the final match for the first time in the tournament's existence.
NCAA Regional Championships are currently slated for May 5-7 and individual NCAA Championships will commence May 22. Domenika Turkovic and Patricija Spaka were one of 32 doubles teams selected to compete in last year's NCAA Doubles Championships.
2023 ROSTER
The Sun Devils returned six of seven from a roster last spring that soared to incredible heights. They kept their top singles player (Giulia Morlet) and their top doubles squad (Turkovic/Spaka), while also retaining Sedona Gallagher, Marianna Argyrokastriti and Natasha Hill.
They also received a big boost with the addition of transfer Rachel Hanford (Minnesota) and highly-touted freshman Chelsea Fontenel.
Fontenel, a native of Basel, Switzerland, has years of experience playing internationally and has competed at all four Junior Grand Slams. She prepped at the esteemed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Hanford played a pair of seasons at the University of Minnesota, where she was the Gophers' No. 1 singles player and sported a career-best ranking of No. 70 in the ITA's National Singles Rankings.
Given the roster makeup and the continuity that comes with it, the Sun Devils have already been tabbed the No. 19 team in the nation, according to the ITA's preseason Top 25 polls.
Not a bad way to start the new year ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/WXrBkgOzxL
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) January 4, 2023
Paired with their national team ranking, the Sun Devils are well-represented in the ITA's top singles and doubles rankings.
DOUBLES
Turkovic/Spaka – No. 9
SINGLES
Morlet – No. 69
Turkovic – No. 74
Argyrokastriti – No. 84
Gallagher – No. 95
LOOKING BACK
A lot happened in the spring of 2022, in which the Sun Devils caught fire late and were among the hottest teams in the nation entering postseason play.
As the calendar flipped to April, the Sun Devils kicked it into another gear, ending the regular season winners of six straight matches. Two of those came against No. 12 Cal (4-3) and No. 17 Stanford (4-2) on April 1-2 in front of some lively crowds at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
It was the first time in program history that they toppled both the Golden Bears and Cardinal in the same season, but it also officially announced the Sun Devils as a force to be reckoned with heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
On back-to-back days to begin the conference tournament, the Sun Devils upended No. 4 USC and No. 1 Cal to reach the final match for the first time in school history.
It helped the Sun Devils reach the NCAA Tournament for the 34th consecutive spring, where they beat San Diego in the opening round (4-1) before falling to eventual runner-up Oklahoma (4-3) the following afternoon.
Their 17 wins were the most in a single-season since 2016, as McInerney was named both the Pac-12 Coach of the Year and the ITA's Southwest Regional Coach of the Year. It was the second time in her illustrious career she's earned those awards, both of which came in 2016.
Assistant coach Matt Langley was also named the ITA's Southwest Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, cementing a clean-sweep for the Sun Devil staff in the ITA's postseason coaching awards.
McInerney also reached career win No. 550 when the Sun Devils upset No. 12 Cal on April 1 in Tempe.
Recapping the entire 2022 season
NOTES/NUGGETS
-McInerney's 557 career wins puts her among the winningest active coaches in the entire sport.
MOST WINS BY ACTIVE WOMEN'S TENNIS COACHES (UPDATED ENTERING 2023 SEASON)
788-Jeff Wallace, Georgia (1986-present)
711-Brian Kalbas, William & Mary, North Carolina (1992-present)
576-Claire Pollard, Miss. State, Lamar, Northwestern (1990-91, 1994-98, 99-present)
568-Jamie Ashworth, Duke (1997-present)
557-Sheila McInerney, Arizona State (1985-present)
556-Angelo Anastopoulo, College of Charleston (1991-present)
-17-plus win seasons under McInerney
2022 – 17-8
2016 – 18-6
2014 – 18-8
2013 – 17-6
2001 – 20-6
1992 – 18-8
1991 – 19-10
1990 – 20-10
1989 – 19-11
1988 – 17-11
1985 – 17-14
-The Sun Devils ended last spring ranked as the No. 17 team in the nation, marking the 19th time under McInerney that they've had a top-20 season-end ranking.
FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils all spring via the team's Twitter account, @sundevilwtennis.
Bring on 2023 ?? pic.twitter.com/SYeP0h0HZw
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) December 31, 2022