TEMPE, Ariz. – Back in action for the first time in 11 days, the No. 19 Sun Devil Women's Tennis team (8-1, 0-0) is Columbus-bound for a massive battle against No. 6 Ohio State on Sunday, February 19 (9 a.m. MST) at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.
The standalone match against the Buckeyes is the only contest of this road trip for the Sun Devils, who will return home in early March to host Baylor (March 4, 11 a.m.) and Oregon (March 5, 11 a.m.).
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
- For the fifth consecutive ranking, the Sun Devils have earned a spot in the ITA national team polls, checking in this week at No. 19 overall. They jumped four spots from their previous ranking, thanks to a win over No. 17 San Diego in Tempe in early February.
- The Sun Devils continue to stack the ITA singles/doubles national rankings, led by the tandem of Domenika Turkovic/Patricija Spaka at No. 7 in the country. In the singles rankings, four Sun Devils were recognized – Giulia Morlet (No. 54), Turkovic (No. 92), Marianna Argyrokastriti (No. 109) and Sedona Gallagher (No. 119).
- The Sun Devils will have another crack at a ranked opponent this spring, already their third through their first 10 matches. They're 1-1 in their first two tries, with their win coming against No. 17 San Diego weeks ago.
- Whiteman Warriors: The Sun Devils have always kicked it into another gear at the Whiteman Tennis Center, but they're perfect through their first seven matches at home this spring. They're already halfway through their home schedule this spring.
- Freshman Chelsea Fontenel has been a terrific addition to the Sun Devils this spring, tied with teammate Marianna Argyrokastriti for the team-high in wins (8).
- Sedona Gallagher and Giulia Morlet have proved to be an unstoppable tandem in doubles this spring, going a perfect 8-0 to begin this season on Court 2. Pair them with the No. 7 duo of Turkovic/Spaka, and the Sun Devils have yet to lose the doubles point this season.
PREVIEWING THE BUCKEYES (6-2, 0-0)
- The No. 6 Buckeyes are recently removed from the ITA National Indoor Championships in Seattle, where they topped Auburn in the opening round (4-0) before falling to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals (4-0) the following afternoon. They were later bested by Michigan (4-1) in the consolation round.
- Tough tests: The Buckeyes haven't shied away from some of the elite programs this season, already notching wins against Oklahoma, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Georgia and Auburn. All five schools are currently ranked in the top-25 of the ITA national team polls.
- A trio of Buckeyes are listed in the ITA's national singles rankings – Sydni Ratliff (No. 17), Irina Cantos Siemers (No. 23) and Shelly Bereznyak (No. 105). Additionally, the doubles team of Ratliff/Cantos Siemers is currently ranked at No. 39.
- The Buckeyes went 21-6 a season ago, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Ohio State is led by head coach Melissa Schaub, now in her 11th season at the helm of the Buckeyes. Under Schaub's tutelage, the Buckeyes have competed in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments (2014-19, '21-22), including a quarterfinal appearance in 2016, a semifinal berth in 2017 and a trip to the Round of 16 in 2021. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships in 2016, '17 and '21 and were the undefeated regular season champs in 2022.
PLAYER'S CORNER
Hear from junior Marianna Argyrokastriti after the team's 5-2 win over SMU on February 8 in Tempe.
Mariana Argyrokastriti on today's win ?? pic.twitter.com/I8ZD1EL4Gb
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) February 8, 2023
FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils this weekend in Columbus via the team's Twitter account, @sundevilwtennis, which will be updated with scores, results and more.