TEMPE, Ariz. – Another spring season has come and gone for head coach Sheila McInerney and her Sun Devils, who are freshly removed from a 35th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and an impressive 17-win campaign.
A pair of newcomers, including one savvy freshman, and a core of upperclassmen helped the Sun Devils complete an undefeated home slate for the first time in program history, as they won all 15 matches at the Whiteman Tennis Center this spring.
After their 4-0 sweep of No. 48 Arizona in the regular season finale, the Sun Devils moved to 17-5, marking their second straight 17-win campaign and just the 13th time under head coach McInerney they've won 17 matches or more in consecutive seasons.
It also pushed them to 7-3 in league play, their best season against conference foes since 2018 (7-3).
For the second consecutive spring, the Sun Devils caught fire when they needed it most, closing out the regular season on a five-match win streak (No. 29 USC, No. 26 UCLA, No. 54 Colorado, No. 48 Utah and No. 48 Arizona).
Home, sweep home ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 17, 2023
We were perfect at home all spring for the first time in program history ?? pic.twitter.com/jKCnuBpIIk
HOW IT STARTED
The Sun Devils started the spring winning eight of their first nine matches, including a defeat of No. 17 San Diego on February 4. Their first loss came at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Auburn, Alabama, when they fell to No. 23 UCF, 4-2, on January 28.
After a mid-February loss to No. 6 Ohio State, the Sun Devils rattled off three wins in four matches, good for a 10-2 start midway through the regular season.
After consecutive losses against No. 42 California and No. 15 Stanford, the Sun Devils righted the ship by winning five straight to close out the regular season.
POSTSEASON
The Sun Devils put together a convincing case all spring to make yet another NCAA Tournament, thanks to a trio of top-30 wins (No. 17 San Diego, No. 29 USC, No. 26 UCLA) and dominant conference play.
It wasn't the kind of run they anticipated, as they were bounced in both the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament to USC (4-1) and the NCAA Tournament against Wake Forest (4-3).
Up 3-1 against Wake Forest, the Sun Devils couldn't close out the Demon Deacons, who stormed back to win the remaining three matches.
Though that concluded the team portion of the spring schedule, attention shifted to the Turkovic/Spaka duo, who were one of 32 tandems selections to compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships for the second consecutive spring.
After a Round of 32 win against Princeton's Daria Frayman/Grace Joyce (6-0, 7-6), the Sun Devils were bested by North Carolina's Reese Brantmeier/Elizabeth Scotty (6-0, 7-5).
Despite the loss, Turkovic/Spaka were the first Sun Devils to have advanced beyond the opening round since No. 12 Ilze Hattingh/Lauryn John-Baptiste had a top-eight finish in 2018.
Ticket punched for our 35th consecutive NCAA Tournament selection ??#ForksUp | #O2V pic.twitter.com/tE3SDEClLW
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) May 1, 2023
Dancing once again ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) May 2, 2023
Domenika Turkovic & Patricija Spaka are one of 32 duos selected to compete at the NCAA Doubles Tournament for the second consecutive spring ??
?? https://t.co/SpIcpSzqm9 pic.twitter.com/BRIkJQN3r6
CHELSEA'S FONT-ASTIC
When Giulia Morlet, the team's top-ranked singles player, went down with a foot injury in mid-February that would sideline her for more than a month, the Sun Devils hardly panicked. Instead, they turned to freshman Chelsea Fontenel, who was playing as high as Court 3 to begin her collegiate career.
The Basel, Switzerland native slid right atop the Sun Devil lineup, where she coolly delivered a win over Baylor's Isabella Harvison, ranked No. 94 in the country at the time of their meeting on March 4.
The following day, Fontenel toppled Oregon's Sophie Luescher, and she was a catalyst in the Sun Devils' home defeats of both No. 46 Baylor and No. 53 Oregon.
When Morlet returned, Fontenel was assigned to singles Court 2, where she stunned USC's Eryn Cayetano (No. 42), in straight sets.
She earned ITA singles rankings in each of the final three weeks of the regular season, including a career-high No. 98, en route to a selection to Pac-12 First Team honors.
ARGY'S BIG SPRING
Along with Morlet and Fontenel atop the singles lineup, and the highly-touted duo of Turkovic/Spaka in doubles, the Sun Devils were also boosted by the brilliance of Marianna Argyrokastriti.
Typically playing in the back end of the starting lineup in her first two seasons, the junior from Athens, Greece, proved she was ready for a heavier workload, splitting time between singles Courts 3 and 4 this spring.
All she did was lead the team with 18 wins in singles play, with five of those wins coming on Court 3.
She began the season winning 16 of her first 17 matches, including a 13-1 mark on Court 4. It earned her Second Team All-Conference honors.
RANK 'EM
All spring long, the Sun Devils found themselves ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) team, singles and doubles polls. They were ranked as high as the No. 19 team in the nation, while the Domenika Turkovic/Patricija Spaka duo were ranked as best as No. 7 in early February.
Five Sun Devils earned ITA singles rankings at some point this spring, highlighted by Morlet's career-best listing at No. 54:
Morlet, No. 54
Turkovic, No. 74
Argyrokastriti, No. 84
Gallagher, No. 95
Fontenel, No. 98
Turkovic/Spaka entered the postseason listed as the No. 20 doubles team, while the Sun Devils rounded out the spring campaign at No. 26 in the country.
Closing out the spring ranked at No. 26 in the country ?? pic.twitter.com/coe5zVF6r1
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) May 24, 2023
READ IT AGAIN
ASU Women's Tennis Gears Up For Pac-12 Tournament (Rishi Oza, State Press/April 27, 2023)
Morlet, Fontenel Earn Pac-12 First Team Honors
Top of the Pac ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) May 4, 2023
Huge congratulations to Giulia Morlet and Chelsea Fontenel for earning First Team All-Conference honors ??
?? https://t.co/5OjYfPKxWC#ForksUp | @pac12 ?? pic.twitter.com/TKJaIPcmNY
17-PLUS WIN SEASONS UNDER COACH 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
1986 – 21-7
1985 – 17-14
MATCHES VS. PAC-12 OPPONENTS THIS SEASON
Sunday, March 5 vs. Oregon (W, 4-0)
Friday, March 17 at Washington (L, 1-4)
Sunday, March 19 at Washington State (W, 7-0)
Friday, March 31 at Cal (L, 6-1)
Saturday, April 1 at Stanford (L, 4-3)
Friday, April 7 vs. USC (W, 4-1)
Saturday, April 8 vs. UCLA (W, 4-2)
Friday, April 14 vs. Colorado (W, 4-0)
Saturday, April 15 vs. Utah (W, 4-0)
Saturday, April 22 at Arizona (W, 4-0)
OVERALL: 7-3
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.
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)
LOOKING AHEAD
As it currently stands, just graduate students Sedona Gallagher and Domenika Turkovic are expected to be the team's only departures. In addition to six returners next season, the Sun Devils will also welcome incoming freshmen Sara Svetac and Emilija Tverijonaite, a pair of experienced international standouts who signed throughout the 2022-23 school year.
The Sun Devils announced the signing of the top Croatian junior Svetac in early March. Svetac was ranked as high as No. 135 in the ITF Junior World rankings and has captured five ITF junior single titles and a trio of junior doubles titles.
Tverijonaite, the No. 144 ranked ITF junior who hails from Šiauliai, Lithuania, is a two-time national champion in the under-14 and under-16 tournaments. She is currently listed at No. 2 in the Lithuanian national rankings and boasts a Universal Tennis Rating of 10.24