TEMPE, Ariz. – Linda Vollstedt, one of the winningest and most iconic coaches in Sun Devil history, paused to reflect, careful in choosing her words.
As did Reka Cseresnyes, Desirae Krawczyk and Kady Pooler – a trio of former Sun Devil Women's Tennis players – and Matt Langley, the team's eighth-year associate head coach.
Such a reaction is almost universal when asked what impact Sheila McInerney, who is soon to begin her 40th season this fall as the head coach of Sun Devil Women's Tennis, has had on Arizona State since her hiring on Aug. 16, 1984.
"She's a legend," Vollstedt said. "She's an amazing coach, an amazing person and has left a good mark … I think Sheila's given everything she's had to the sport."
Cseresnyes: "I'm struggling to find a word other than 'legend.'"
Pooler: "She's a legend."
Krawczyk: "She's someone I think all the coaches respect and as players, we really respect her as well. She's a legend. She's a legend for sure."
Langley: "To college tennis, everyone is familiar with Sheila McInerney. She's everything that you want in a Sun Devil."
A resume that spans four decades is, of course, well stocked with accolades and feats.
A two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. A run of 35 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. A career win total closing in on 600.
But the on-court success nearly becomes secondary when discussing the influence of McInerney. Instead, past players, assistants and colleagues marvel at her character, her work ethic, her love of the game and her steadfast commitment to molding young student-athletes.
"That woman," said Pooler, who played for McInerney from 2003-07, "has a lot of Sun Devil pride."
There was a plausible scenario where both Cseresnyes and Pooler ended up elsewhere in the Pac-12 Conference. Pooler, a Dana Point, California, native, had a private coach as an adolescent who went on to become an assistant at UCLA.
Cseresnyes, who hailed all the way from Hungary, leaned on a close childhood friend, who had ventured to America to play at USC, when weighing her collegiate options in the 1990s.
From an outsider's perspective, it almost seemed like a lock that both settled into these Southern California powerhouses, with Pooler signing with the Bruins and Cseresnyes committing to the Trojans.
Despite their allegiances to their respective universities, both Pooler's private coach and Cseresnyes good friend suggested they consider the Sun Devils throughout their recruitment.
It's almost unheard of. Here was a UCLA coach and a USC player, helping guide the recruitment for a pair of top junior players, recommending a conference foe.
The common denominator for both instances, which took place a decade apart,
remained the same: Sheila McInerney was in Tempe.
"[The UCLA assistant] was a big fan of Sheila," Pooler said. "He knew I had aspirations of playing pro after college, so for me, when I was looking at a school and coaching, a lot of it was, I wanted a coach who was going to develop me. I wanted to go to college and actually get better.
"Sheila had a great reputation for that."
Krawczyk had a more traditional path to joining the Sun Devils. Like many junior talents who are eager to get in front of college coaches, the Palm Desert, California, native played in local tournaments attended by area scouts and college coaches.
There, she met McInerney, who complimented the left-handed Krawczyk after a match.
"There was this balcony [at the venue], I knew she was watching me from above – I don't even know if I won that match, but I remember chatting with her. She was super nice, super easy to talk to."
What happened next may as well have sealed the deal in Krawczyk's commitment.
"She did this for every player she recruited," Krawczyk said, "but she wrote a handwritten note, the most perfect cursive. It was such a genuine thing."
Other coaches emailed, or had assistants or staff members reach out on their behalf. Sheila McInerney penned a note, detailing what she liked about players' games and thanking them for the chance to get to know them.
Krawczyk, whose Sun Devil tenure has parlayed into a terrific professional career that's featured wins at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and French Open, still has the note to this day.
Cseresnyes still remembers McInerney's cell phone number by heart.
It's been years – decades, even – since she last dialed it. But it remains engrained in her memory for a simple reason.
"We could always call her," Cseresnyes said. "She'd always be there for the team. It's that commitment. Her commitment, her presence is so strong that I think it's kind of the key to all the success she's had with her team."
In conversations with former players and colleagues, each detailed McInerney's care and commitment to running the Sun Devils. It goes beyond wins and losses, deeper than her current streak of 35 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
McInerney simply relishes her responsibility to care for and develop those who come through her program.
"She was really clear about expectations, as far as what is expected of the girls, and most specifically, she would frequently remind us about the priorities between academics, tennis and our social life," Cseresnyes said. "She would raise her hand very high and say, 'Academics need to be at a very high level,' and she'd raise her other hand high, and then, 'Tennis is right there.'
"Then, she'd drop her hand as low as possible and say, 'Your social life just needs to be low right now.' Every practice, every match, it was such an example for us, seeing her being so caring, so present, so checked in to everything around tennis that you'd kind of have to do the same. I think we've all learned that."
Pooler remembers being thrown off after her initial conversation with her.
For all of McInerney's impact, the success and the sheer weight her presence carried, Pooler was surprised to learn her future head coach was, well, so smaller in stature. One of college tennis' most successful figures stood no taller than 5-foot-2.
"I remember the first time meeting her, which was on my recruiting trip, and I just remember thinking, 'She's shorter than I thought,'" Pooler laughed. "She carries such a power to her, so I just assumed she was going to be this big woman.
"I remember thinking, she's smaller than I thought, but she still is every bit as powerful and commands attention, is strong, well-spoken, and intense."
Perhaps no one understands longevity as a head coach better than Linda Vollstedt, who guided Sun Devil Women's Golf for 22 years and six national championships. Hired in 1980, Vollstedt and McInerney began their head coaching careers a mere four years apart.
They were young head coaches together, which then morphed into the two running powerhouse programs alongside each other. It has, since Vollstedt's retirement in 2001, blossomed into a friendship that's as strong as ever more than 20 years later.
"When I saw Sheila come in, I was really happy to see someone who was so energetic and hungry to build, and continue to keep the program growing. It's not like we were both trying to set the world on fire, we were just trying to sustain the tradition of the program," Vollstedt said.
Vollstedt can only marvel at McInerney's career that's stretching into its fourth decade.
"Gosh, she means so much to the world of tennis. She's so well known, so well respected. She's a legend. Sheila is a legend in the tennis world. People respect what
she's done.
"The young coaches look up to her. She's been a great mentor, a great role model for other coaches. They see her, her longevity, and they want to know, 'How do you do that? How do you sustain that?' I think it's all about love of the sport, love of helping others, love of tennis, being able to make a difference in the world. Those all epitomize Sheila.
In the spring of 2022, McInerney earned ASU's Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year Award, given annually to a Sun Devil women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship performance, graduation and tradition.
Already the longest tenured coach in school history, McInerney is soon to embark on her 40th season in 2023-24.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the wins and losses, the streaks, the postseason appearances that come from a tenure as long and rich as hers.
But, it is the person and the character that has amazed so many over the years. Pooler takes pride in showing up five-to-ten minutes early for every meeting or appointment, a practice hammered home during her playing days by McInerney.
Krawczyk, whether playing at the US Open or Wimbledon, still makes a conscious effort to reach out and check in on her former head coach.
Cseresnyes is still wowed by McInerney's attention to detail for each player, despite all the tennis she's absorbed over the years.
"She'd say, 'Reka, do you remember when you played that match against so-and-so and at four-to-five in the third set you were up 40-15?' Like, Oh, my god. How do you remember all that? How she remembered all that is she cared so much about the person, the matches, that she just got so deep into everything about the team and each person and each match that she just remembered because she cared so much."
Langley, who's spent the past eight seasons, said he owes his entire career to McInerney, who took a chance on the Middle Tennessee State alum and presented him with his first true full-time collegiate coaching opportunity in 2015.
"She took a chance on me and has gotten my college coaching career started and from there, I've met a lot of people and networked and made connections and positioned myself pretty well from the initial opportunity that she's given me," Langley said. "So, massively, I owe pretty much everything and my start in college coaching to Sheila."
McInerney, now a 40th-year Sun Devil, has an impact that is immeasurable.
But Pooler has a good idea where to start.
"I would imagine there is going to be a building, something named after her, a statue," Pooler said. "In a world where people leave jobs so quickly and are easy to bounce, especially in coaching, it shows true commitment and the commitment and pride and love.
"It's all things she embodies."
As did Reka Cseresnyes, Desirae Krawczyk and Kady Pooler – a trio of former Sun Devil Women's Tennis players – and Matt Langley, the team's eighth-year associate head coach.
Such a reaction is almost universal when asked what impact Sheila McInerney, who is soon to begin her 40th season this fall as the head coach of Sun Devil Women's Tennis, has had on Arizona State since her hiring on Aug. 16, 1984.
"She's a legend," Vollstedt said. "She's an amazing coach, an amazing person and has left a good mark … I think Sheila's given everything she's had to the sport."
Cseresnyes: "I'm struggling to find a word other than 'legend.'"
Pooler: "She's a legend."
Krawczyk: "She's someone I think all the coaches respect and as players, we really respect her as well. She's a legend. She's a legend for sure."
Langley: "To college tennis, everyone is familiar with Sheila McInerney. She's everything that you want in a Sun Devil."
A resume that spans four decades is, of course, well stocked with accolades and feats.
A two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. A run of 35 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. A career win total closing in on 600.
But the on-court success nearly becomes secondary when discussing the influence of McInerney. Instead, past players, assistants and colleagues marvel at her character, her work ethic, her love of the game and her steadfast commitment to molding young student-athletes.
"That woman," said Pooler, who played for McInerney from 2003-07, "has a lot of Sun Devil pride."
There was a plausible scenario where both Cseresnyes and Pooler ended up elsewhere in the Pac-12 Conference. Pooler, a Dana Point, California, native, had a private coach as an adolescent who went on to become an assistant at UCLA.
Cseresnyes, who hailed all the way from Hungary, leaned on a close childhood friend, who had ventured to America to play at USC, when weighing her collegiate options in the 1990s.
From an outsider's perspective, it almost seemed like a lock that both settled into these Southern California powerhouses, with Pooler signing with the Bruins and Cseresnyes committing to the Trojans.
Despite their allegiances to their respective universities, both Pooler's private coach and Cseresnyes good friend suggested they consider the Sun Devils throughout their recruitment.
It's almost unheard of. Here was a UCLA coach and a USC player, helping guide the recruitment for a pair of top junior players, recommending a conference foe.
The common denominator for both instances, which took place a decade apart,
remained the same: Sheila McInerney was in Tempe.
"[The UCLA assistant] was a big fan of Sheila," Pooler said. "He knew I had aspirations of playing pro after college, so for me, when I was looking at a school and coaching, a lot of it was, I wanted a coach who was going to develop me. I wanted to go to college and actually get better.
"Sheila had a great reputation for that."
Krawczyk had a more traditional path to joining the Sun Devils. Like many junior talents who are eager to get in front of college coaches, the Palm Desert, California, native played in local tournaments attended by area scouts and college coaches.
There, she met McInerney, who complimented the left-handed Krawczyk after a match.
"There was this balcony [at the venue], I knew she was watching me from above – I don't even know if I won that match, but I remember chatting with her. She was super nice, super easy to talk to."
What happened next may as well have sealed the deal in Krawczyk's commitment.
"She did this for every player she recruited," Krawczyk said, "but she wrote a handwritten note, the most perfect cursive. It was such a genuine thing."
Other coaches emailed, or had assistants or staff members reach out on their behalf. Sheila McInerney penned a note, detailing what she liked about players' games and thanking them for the chance to get to know them.
Krawczyk, whose Sun Devil tenure has parlayed into a terrific professional career that's featured wins at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and French Open, still has the note to this day.
Cseresnyes still remembers McInerney's cell phone number by heart.
It's been years – decades, even – since she last dialed it. But it remains engrained in her memory for a simple reason.
"We could always call her," Cseresnyes said. "She'd always be there for the team. It's that commitment. Her commitment, her presence is so strong that I think it's kind of the key to all the success she's had with her team."
In conversations with former players and colleagues, each detailed McInerney's care and commitment to running the Sun Devils. It goes beyond wins and losses, deeper than her current streak of 35 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
McInerney simply relishes her responsibility to care for and develop those who come through her program.
"She was really clear about expectations, as far as what is expected of the girls, and most specifically, she would frequently remind us about the priorities between academics, tennis and our social life," Cseresnyes said. "She would raise her hand very high and say, 'Academics need to be at a very high level,' and she'd raise her other hand high, and then, 'Tennis is right there.'
"Then, she'd drop her hand as low as possible and say, 'Your social life just needs to be low right now.' Every practice, every match, it was such an example for us, seeing her being so caring, so present, so checked in to everything around tennis that you'd kind of have to do the same. I think we've all learned that."
Pooler remembers being thrown off after her initial conversation with her.
For all of McInerney's impact, the success and the sheer weight her presence carried, Pooler was surprised to learn her future head coach was, well, so smaller in stature. One of college tennis' most successful figures stood no taller than 5-foot-2.
"I remember the first time meeting her, which was on my recruiting trip, and I just remember thinking, 'She's shorter than I thought,'" Pooler laughed. "She carries such a power to her, so I just assumed she was going to be this big woman.
"I remember thinking, she's smaller than I thought, but she still is every bit as powerful and commands attention, is strong, well-spoken, and intense."
Perhaps no one understands longevity as a head coach better than Linda Vollstedt, who guided Sun Devil Women's Golf for 22 years and six national championships. Hired in 1980, Vollstedt and McInerney began their head coaching careers a mere four years apart.
They were young head coaches together, which then morphed into the two running powerhouse programs alongside each other. It has, since Vollstedt's retirement in 2001, blossomed into a friendship that's as strong as ever more than 20 years later.
"When I saw Sheila come in, I was really happy to see someone who was so energetic and hungry to build, and continue to keep the program growing. It's not like we were both trying to set the world on fire, we were just trying to sustain the tradition of the program," Vollstedt said.
Vollstedt can only marvel at McInerney's career that's stretching into its fourth decade.
"Gosh, she means so much to the world of tennis. She's so well known, so well respected. She's a legend. Sheila is a legend in the tennis world. People respect what
she's done.
"The young coaches look up to her. She's been a great mentor, a great role model for other coaches. They see her, her longevity, and they want to know, 'How do you do that? How do you sustain that?' I think it's all about love of the sport, love of helping others, love of tennis, being able to make a difference in the world. Those all epitomize Sheila.
In the spring of 2022, McInerney earned ASU's Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year Award, given annually to a Sun Devil women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship performance, graduation and tradition.
Already the longest tenured coach in school history, McInerney is soon to embark on her 40th season in 2023-24.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the wins and losses, the streaks, the postseason appearances that come from a tenure as long and rich as hers.
But, it is the person and the character that has amazed so many over the years. Pooler takes pride in showing up five-to-ten minutes early for every meeting or appointment, a practice hammered home during her playing days by McInerney.
Krawczyk, whether playing at the US Open or Wimbledon, still makes a conscious effort to reach out and check in on her former head coach.
Cseresnyes is still wowed by McInerney's attention to detail for each player, despite all the tennis she's absorbed over the years.
"She'd say, 'Reka, do you remember when you played that match against so-and-so and at four-to-five in the third set you were up 40-15?' Like, Oh, my god. How do you remember all that? How she remembered all that is she cared so much about the person, the matches, that she just got so deep into everything about the team and each person and each match that she just remembered because she cared so much."
Langley, who's spent the past eight seasons, said he owes his entire career to McInerney, who took a chance on the Middle Tennessee State alum and presented him with his first true full-time collegiate coaching opportunity in 2015.
"She took a chance on me and has gotten my college coaching career started and from there, I've met a lot of people and networked and made connections and positioned myself pretty well from the initial opportunity that she's given me," Langley said. "So, massively, I owe pretty much everything and my start in college coaching to Sheila."
McInerney, now a 40th-year Sun Devil, has an impact that is immeasurable.
But Pooler has a good idea where to start.
"I would imagine there is going to be a building, something named after her, a statue," Pooler said. "In a world where people leave jobs so quickly and are easy to bounce, especially in coaching, it shows true commitment and the commitment and pride and love.
"It's all things she embodies."