The official athletics site of Arizona State University Opens in a new window
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools
Sun Devil Athletics
HomeHome
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools

Back in Tempe, No. 25 Sun Devils Welcome Pair of Top-55 Opponents

Sheila McInerney Bio Opens in a new window
Back in Tempe, No. 25 Sun Devils Welcome Pair of Top-55 OpponentsBack in Tempe, No. 25 Sun Devils Welcome Pair of Top-55 Opponents

TEMPE, Ariz. –  After a near two-week break, No. 25 Sun Devil Women's Tennis will play host to No. 46 Baylor on March 4 (Saturday/11 a.m. MST) and No. 53 Oregon on March 5 (Sunday/11 a.m. MST) at the Whiteman Tennis Center.

Fans can keep up with the action and follow along via live stats.

Whiteman is the place to be this weekend ??

?? Free donuts & t-shirts on Saturday
?? Free donuts and in-match bingo on Sunday pic.twitter.com/X8PZFFEM2M

— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) March 1, 2023

It's the Sun Devils' first action back at Whiteman since a February 8 showdown against SMU. They're a perfect 8-0 in Tempe to begin the spring season.

Their match against the Ducks will be the first against a Pac-12 opponent this spring. Last season, the Sun Devils fared well in conference play, winning six of 10 tries.

Following this weekend's matches, the Sun Devils will continue their homestand against Pennsylvania on March 11(Saturday/12 p.m. MST).

SUN DEVIL NOTABLES

  • The Sun Devils have maintained a spot in the ITA national team polls for the seventh consecutive ranking, checking in the latest polls at No. 25 overall. 
  • ASU continues to pack the ITA singles/doubles rankings with the doubles pairing of Particija Spaka and Domenika Turkovic at No. 14 in the country. Four Sun Devils have earned a spot in the national singles rankings as well, in Giulia Morlet (No. 91), Domenika Turkovic (No. 114), Chelsea Fontenel (No. 116), and Marianna Argyrokastriti (No. 123).
  • Perfect at home: The Sun Devils are a perfect 8-0 at the Whiteman Center this season and have the opportunity to extend that streak to 10-0 following this weekend's matches.
  • Freshman Chelsea Fontenel is a perfect 9-0 on the season and is tied with Marianna Argyrokastriti for the team-high in wins (9).
  • Giulia Morlet and Sedona Gallagher are a perfect 8-0 in their doubles matches this season. Pair that with the nationally-ranked pairing of Turkovic/Spaka, and the Sun Devils have managed to win the doubles point in all but one match this season.

PREVIEWING THE NO. 46 BEARS

  • The Bears are ranked No. 46 in the latest team rankings in the ITA national polls.
  • The Bears have dropped three in a row coming into this match on Saturday. Their last victory was Feb. 8 against Harvard. They come in with a 7-5 record and are 1-0 on the road this spring. 
  • They are winless against top-25 ranked opponents thus far in the season in three attempts, with losses coming against No. 1 Texas, No. 18 Florida and No. 25 Wisconsin. 
  • Double-dip in the desert: Following the Bears' match with the Sun Devils,  they'll head across town to play Grand Canyon. 
  • The Bears have a pair of nationally-ranked singles players in No. 94 Isabella Harvison and No. 109 Alina Shcherbinina.
  • Baylor was a tournament team a season ago, falling to Texas A&M in the second round of action.

PREVIEWING THE NO. 53 DUCKS

  • Oregon is coming into the weekend ranked No. 53 in the ITA national polls.
  • The Ducks are 7-3 on the season and beat UC Santa Barbara, 4-3, in their most recent match.
  • Oregon has played four ranked opponents (Oklahoma State, Kansas, Iowa, Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara), going 1-3 in those matches with their win coming against Iowa at home.
  • The Ducks are just 1-2 in matches away from home.
  • The Ducks won the most recent matchup against ASU, 4-3, on March 20, 2022.
  • In the 2021-22 season, Oregon was 15-9 overall, lost in the second round of the Pac-12 championships to Stanford and later fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

NEARLY FOUR DECADES OF COACH MAC
Sheila McInerney is in year 39 at Arizona State. Only two current Pac-12 coaches have been at their job longer and fourth on the list is Hall of Famer Tara VanDerveer.

McInerney recently coached in her 900th career game as the Sun Devils' head coach against the No. 6 Buckeyes on February 19.

In April 2022, McInerney guided the Sun Devils to a 4-3 win over No. 12 Cal, securing the 550th win of her career. She currently owns a career record of 565-335 (.628).

CURRENT PAC-12 COACHES 37+ YEARS
Jack Clark, Cal Rugby (40th season in 2022-23)
Mary Lou Mulflur, Washington Women's Golf (40th season in 2022-23)
Sheila McInerney, Arizona State Women's Tennis (39th season in 2022-23)
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women's Basketball (37th season in 2022-23)

FUTURE DEVILS
The Sun Devils announced the signing of top Croatian junior Sara Svetac on Thursday, marking the second signee in the incoming freshmen class.

Svetac, who was ranked as high as No. 135 in the ITF Junior World rankings, has captured five ITF junior single titles and a trio of junior doubles titles.

She will arrive in Tempe this fall, joined alongside top Lithuanian junior Emilija Tverijonaite, who signed with the team in November 2022.
 

Coming this fall to Whiteman ??

Welcome to our Sun Devil family, Sara ??

?? Ranked as high as No. 135 in the ITF Junior World rankings
?? Has won five ITF Junior singles titles and three doubles titles
?? A member of the Croatian National team

?? https://t.co/wjndamxFOM pic.twitter.com/U5YF3WO7J1

— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) March 2, 2023

FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils this weekend via the team's Twitter account, @sundevilwtennis, which will be updated with scores, results, recaps and more.