IRVING, Texas – On the cusp of Sun Devil Women's Tennis opening the NCAA Tournament against Ole Miss on Friday at 7 a.m. AZT, the Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday afternoon that four Sun Devils earned All-Big 12 honors part of their end-of-season awards.
Sophomores Sara Svetac and Emilija Tverijonaite garnered All-Big 12 First Team Singles honors, Lily Taylor earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, and Patricija Spaka and Taylor were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team in doubles. The Sun Devils are one of three teams in the conference to have two players on the All-Big 12 First Team for singles, joining UCF and Oklahoma State.
It's the fourth year in a row the Sun Devils have had a player named on an all-conference first team. For Svetac, Tverijonaite and Spaka, it's their second career all-conference honor after being named Pac-12 Honorable Mentions last year. Taylor was named Big 12 Player of the Week on March 18 and went 7-4 in conference play to earn a nod on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
Svetac's sophomore season saw her lead the team in singles victories in the spring with a 12-5 record and a 7-1 record in Big 12 play, all playing from the No. 1 spot. She ended the regular season winning seven-straight matches and set a career-high with 20 wins in singles play throughout the year. The Croatian went 12-8 in doubles and her success in doubles play translated to an 11-2 record when ASU won the doubles point by going 12-8 in doubles for the spring.
Tverijonaite carried the momentum from a successful 12-2 fall campaign, including an NCAA Singles Tournament appearance and winning 11 singles matches in the spring. Splitting time between the No. 1 and No. 2 spot during the dual season, she set a career high with 23 wins in singles play, which is tied for 10th most by a Sun Devil in a season. It's her second straight season reaching at least 20 wins in singles and has a 2-2 record against ranked competition. From Lithuania, she went 6-3 in doubles during Big 12 play with Aiya Nupbay as her partner, a team-best in conference play.
Taylor and Spaka earned a spot on the All-Big 12 second team for doubles with a 10-3 record as a duo, all from the No. 1 spot. The pair won 10 of their first 11 matches in the spring and went 2-1 against ranked pairs. Spaka recently reached 70 career doubles wins and has three NCAA Doubles Championship appearances in her tenure in the maroon and gold.
From Australia, Taylor joined the team before the spring season and was one of four Sun Devils to reach double-digit wins in the dual season. She won seven of her last 10 matches to cap off the regular season and got a victory in the second round of the Big 12 tournament over Colorado. The freshman tied a team-high with seven conference victories in singles and had 12 wins in doubles play, 10 of those coming with Spaka as her partner.
On Monday, Arizona State was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 37th-straight year and the 39th time in program history. First-year head coach Jamea Jackson led a young squad to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament and continued the tradition for the Sun Devils by earning an at-large bid into the round of 64.
If the Sun Devils emerge victorious in the first round, they'll face No. 3 Michigan or Youngstown State in the second round on Saturday at 10 a.m. AZT/1 p.m. EST.
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Sophomores Sara Svetac and Emilija Tverijonaite garnered All-Big 12 First Team Singles honors, Lily Taylor earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, and Patricija Spaka and Taylor were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team in doubles. The Sun Devils are one of three teams in the conference to have two players on the All-Big 12 First Team for singles, joining UCF and Oklahoma State.
It's the fourth year in a row the Sun Devils have had a player named on an all-conference first team. For Svetac, Tverijonaite and Spaka, it's their second career all-conference honor after being named Pac-12 Honorable Mentions last year. Taylor was named Big 12 Player of the Week on March 18 and went 7-4 in conference play to earn a nod on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
Second career conference honor ????
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 30, 2025
Riding a 7-1 conference record and 12 wins this spring, Sara Svetac earns a spot All-Big 12 First-team in singles play ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/7dmW657Zpy
Svetac's sophomore season saw her lead the team in singles victories in the spring with a 12-5 record and a 7-1 record in Big 12 play, all playing from the No. 1 spot. She ended the regular season winning seven-straight matches and set a career-high with 20 wins in singles play throughout the year. The Croatian went 12-8 in doubles and her success in doubles play translated to an 11-2 record when ASU won the doubles point by going 12-8 in doubles for the spring.
Made her mark ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 30, 2025
With an NCAA singles tournament appearance in the fall and double-digit wins this spring, Emilija earns a nod on the All-Big 12 First-team in singles! ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/m4xoIwBaQI
Tverijonaite carried the momentum from a successful 12-2 fall campaign, including an NCAA Singles Tournament appearance and winning 11 singles matches in the spring. Splitting time between the No. 1 and No. 2 spot during the dual season, she set a career high with 23 wins in singles play, which is tied for 10th most by a Sun Devil in a season. It's her second straight season reaching at least 20 wins in singles and has a 2-2 record against ranked competition. From Lithuania, she went 6-3 in doubles during Big 12 play with Aiya Nupbay as her partner, a team-best in conference play.
Dynamic duo ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 30, 2025
After starting the year winning nine of their first ten matches, Patricija Spaka and Lily Taylor are on the All-Big 12 Second Team in doubles! ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/kilvIt0Oth
Taylor and Spaka earned a spot on the All-Big 12 second team for doubles with a 10-3 record as a duo, all from the No. 1 spot. The pair won 10 of their first 11 matches in the spring and went 2-1 against ranked pairs. Spaka recently reached 70 career doubles wins and has three NCAA Doubles Championship appearances in her tenure in the maroon and gold.
Know the name ??
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 30, 2025
Congratulations to Lily Taylor for earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team! ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/nZkvLAePf7
From Australia, Taylor joined the team before the spring season and was one of four Sun Devils to reach double-digit wins in the dual season. She won seven of her last 10 matches to cap off the regular season and got a victory in the second round of the Big 12 tournament over Colorado. The freshman tied a team-high with seven conference victories in singles and had 12 wins in doubles play, 10 of those coming with Spaka as her partner.
On Monday, Arizona State was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 37th-straight year and the 39th time in program history. First-year head coach Jamea Jackson led a young squad to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament and continued the tradition for the Sun Devils by earning an at-large bid into the round of 64.
If the Sun Devils emerge victorious in the first round, they'll face No. 3 Michigan or Youngstown State in the second round on Saturday at 10 a.m. AZT/1 p.m. EST.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue to follow Sun Devil Women's Tennis on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest coverage this season. Fans can follow on live stats which can be found here.