May 16, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - The 11th-ranked Arizona State women's tennis team (14-7) advances to its 15th NCAA Championships - and third straight Round of 16 appearance - and will face sixth-ranked Duke (23-5) May 18 at 11 a.m. (PDT). Matches will take place at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif, through May 21. This is the second time the NCAA Championships are being held at Pepperdine, as the University also hosted the 1995 tournament.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DEVIL: The Duke Blue Devils are currently ranked sixth and have an overall mark of 23-5. Duke returns three starters from last year's team that reached the semifinals for the fourth straight year. Overall, this appearance will be Duke's 11th straight in the NCAA Tournament. Led by 12th-ranked Megan Miller and 37th-ranked Kathy Sell, the Blue Devils posted easy 5-0 wins over Winthrop and No. 37 Arkansas in the first two rounds of the tournament. The team won its 13th straight Atlantic Coast Conference Championship last month, knocking off third-ranked Wake Forest 5-3 in the league final. Also ranked for the Devils are Erica Biro and Brooke Siebel, at 21st in doubles.
This is not the first time ASU is facing the Blue Devils in the NCAA Championships. Duke defeated the Sun Devils 5-2 in the second round of the 1991 tournament. The overall series is evened at two matches apiece, with the 1991 postseason game the last time the teams faced each other. Both teams faced identical competition this season in California, William & Mary, Texas and Washington. ASU went 2-3 while Duke went 2-2 against these same teams.
THE LINEUP: Probable lineup for the ASU vs. Duke match:
Singles
1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) vs. (12) Megan Miller (DUKE)
2. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) vs. (37) Kathy Sell (DUKE)
3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) vs. Katie Granson (DUKE)
4. Faye DeVera (ASU) vs. Erica Biro (DUKE)
5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) vs. Hillary Adams (DUKE)
6. Mhairi Brown (ASU) vs. Prim Siripipat (DUKE)
Doubles
1. (18) Bradshaw/Celena McCoury (ASU) vs. (21) Brooke Siebel/Biro (DUKE)
2. Yeats/Brown (ASU) vs. Miller/Adams (DUKE)
3. Palme/Giardino (ASU) vs. Sell/Granson (DUKE)
THE REST OF THE FIELD: What was 64 is now down to the final 16. In addition to Duke and ASU, making the trip to Malibu is top-ranked Stanford, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 California, No. 8 Texas, No. 9 UCLA, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 12 USC, No. 13 Notre Dame, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 17 South Alabama, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 32 Louisiana State. During the regular season Arizona State went 3-6 vs. Stanford, Cal, UCLA, USC and Texas, while Duke went 5-3 vs. Notre Dame, Tennessee, Northwestern, Cal, Florida, Texas and Wake Forest. If the Sun Devils top Duke, the team will face the winner of the Notre Dame/Florida match at 8 a.m. on Friday. Current ASU players defeated Notre Dame during the 1999 season but have never faced Florida.
DEVIL ORIGINS: Duke's mascot, the Blue Devil, was first used in 1922 by The Chronicle, Duke's student daily. The nickname Blue Devils was derived from the French Blue Devils, a crack Alpine corps which wore a striking blue uniform with a blue beret. Arizona State's mascot, the Sun Devil, was adopted in 1946 and created by one of Walt Disney's cartoonists. ASU's school of Climatology reports a Sun Devil is similar to a dust devil, where unusual atmospheric conditions are caused by a high amount of sunlight.
HOSTING THE FIRST AND SEDCOND ROUNDS: The Sun Devils were one of 16 teams selected to host first and second-round matches for the four-team NCAA Regional when pairings were announced May 4. Army, Mississippi State and Oregon visited Whiteman Tennis Center inTempe last weekend. MSU blanked Oregon 5-0 while ASU topped Army 6-0 in the first round on May 13. ASU then went on to defeat Mississippi State 6-0 in the second round.
ASU NCAA SECOND ROUND RECAP: Arizona State defeated second seed Mississippi State 6-0 in the second round of the NCAA Championships at Whiteman Tennis Center. The Sun Devils won the match during singles play, eliminating the need for doubles competition.
The Lady Bulldogs end their season with an even 11-11 overall record. This NCAA appearance was the team's second straight.
Faye DeVera was the first player to score a point for the Devils with her 6-1, 6-0 win over MSU's Claudia Oliveira. Allison Bradshaw, Kerry Giardino and Mhairi Brown followed soon after, winning each of their matches in straight sets. Megan Yeats clinched the team victory with a service ace to defeat Andrea Lord 6-2, 6-4.
Although the victory was already secured for the Devils, both teams agreed to finish a match in progress on court two, with ASU's Karin Palme topping the MSU's Ivana Belancic 7-5, 7-5.
ASU NCAA FIRST ROUND RECAP: Arizona State defeated fourth seed Army 6-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. ASU won the match during singles play, eliminating the need for doubles competition.
The Cadets' season ends with a 16-11 overall mark. This NCAA appearance was the team's second straight.
The Sun Devils' lone senior, Kerry Giardino, clinched the team victory with her win on court three over the Army's Jennifer Blatty. It was Giardino's first match in seven weeks after being sidelined with a severe ankle sprain.
Megan Yeats and Mhairi Brown were the first to complete their matches for the Sun Devils, turning in identical 6-0, 6-0 scores over their respective Army opponents, Melissa Sentelle and Lillian Lien. 15th-ranked Allison Bradshaw and 24th-ranked Karin Palme finished with matching 6-0, 6-1 scores over the Army's Annie Weber and Cheryl Hamilton.
Although the victory was already secured for the Devils, the match on court four was completed, with ASU's Faye DeVera topping the Cadets' Ann Collier 7-5, 6-3.
1999 CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: No. 2 Seed Stanford claimed its 10th title, eliminating defending champion Florida on May 23 on the Gators' home court in Gainesville, Fla. It was the second title for the Cardinal in three years. San Diego's Zuzana Lesenarova defeated Stanford's Marissa Irvin for the singles title. California's Amanda Augustus and Amy Jensen won for the second straight year in the doubles championship, defeating Georgia's Vanessa Castellano and Marissa Catlin for the title. ASU advanced to the round of 16 before falling to California, 5-4.
ASU AT THE NCAAs: Arizona State has advanced as a team to the NCAA tournament in each of the last 15 seasons, beginning in 1985. Additionally, the Sun Devils have had representation in the singles championships each of those years and in doubles 14 of 15 years. ASU has also advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in four of the last nine seasons (1992, '93, '95, '97). The Sun Devils earned national championships in 1971, '72 and '74. Last year, the team fell to California 5-4 in the Round of 16.
INFORMATION/RESULTS: www.TheSunDevils.com will follow Arizona State through the NCAA Team, Singles and Doubles Tournaments. Championship information can also be found at www.NCAAchampionships.com and www.pepperdine.edu. Information is also available on InfoConnection. The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915). Brackets and schedules are located in cell 1548 while ticket information is in cell 1549. Championships results will also appear in the June 5 issue of The NCAA News.
NCAA SINGLES/DOUBLES TOURNAMENT: After the team championships, a 64-player individual bracket and a doubles bracket of 32 will determine singles and doubles champions May 22-26. Arizona State will send Allison Bradshaw and Karin Palme in singles and Bradshaw and Celena McCoury will compete in doubles.
ALLISON BRADSHAW: All-American Allison Bradshaw has been invited to the singles tournament for the second year in a row. Last year as a freshman, she received at top-16 seed and bowed out in the second round. After being sidelined for seven weeks earlier this season with a stress fracture in her foot, Bradshaw returned in mid-April and has since been named a first team All-Pac-10 selection. Although she dropped her first two matches back from injury, she took second-ranked Marissa Irvin of Stanford to three sets, becoming only the second person this season to take the Cardinal sophomore the distance. Bradshaw is the highest ranked player for the Sun Devils in the ITA standings, 15th-best in the country. Bradshaw has played the No. 1 spot for the Sun Devils all season and is 9-4 in dual matches and is 21-7 overall. The sophomore from San Diego, Calif., played in the ITA Summer Championships, making her way to the third round before retiring due to injury. She currently carries a 52-23 career record.
KARIN PALME: Junior Karin Palme will be making her first appearance in the singles tournament. Ranked 24th by the ITA, she currently carries an 13-8 dual, 23-12 overall record, playing mostly in the No. 2 spot during singles competition. She went 3-5 vs. ranked oppoents at the No. 1 position, where she played for seven weeks in place of the injured Bradshaw. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native was recently named an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection. She and teammate Kerry Giardino are undefeated in doubles compeition this season, 10-0 in dual matches, 11-0 overall at the No. 3 spot.
BRADSHAW/MCCOURY: Allison Bradshaw is making her second appearance in the NCAA doubles tourney as she and former teammate Katy Propstra received a top eight seed and avanced to the second round of last year's draw. Celena McCoury is making her first apearance. The pair are the only tandem ranked on the squad and are currently tied for 18th. Bradshaw, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif., and McCoury, a junior from Canton, Ohio, went 7-3 during the dual season and 15-3 overall, while playing No. 1 Doubles for the Sun Devils. The tandem won its first nine matches and won the Pac-10 Indoors and the ASU Winter Invitational tournaments. During the season, they defeated three top-10 teams and eight ranked opponents overall. In their last outing, Bradshaw and McCoury fell in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Championships.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stanford finished the regular season as the Pac-10 team champion at 8-0 for the second straight season and earned its 13th consecutive title. ASU tied for fourth matching last year's 4-4 conference mark. The 32-player singles draw consisted of three players from each of the nine schools, with five additional competitors selected by a committee of coaches based upon the participants' records. ASU sent Allison Bradshaw, Faye DeVera, Karin Palme and Megan Yeats. The 16-team doubles draw had one doubles team from each school and seven additional teams selected by the women's games committee. ASU's representatives were Bradshaw/McCourey and Yeats/Brown. Bradshaw fell to UCLA's Sara Walker in the singles final while Arizona Lindsay Blau and Michelle Gough won the doubles tournament. Complete conference results are located in the sidebar on this page.
ALL-PAC-10 SELECTIONS: Allison Bradshaw earned first team All-Pac-10 honors and Karin Palme was an honorable mention selection as both were honored by the conference for their achievements in during the 2000 season.
Bradshaw is the team's highest ranked player by the ITA, currently 15th, with a 21-7 singles record. She is also ranked in doubles with partner Celena McCoury at 18th. Bradshaw advanced to the finals of the Pac-10 tournament on April 30, becoming the first Lady Devil to reach the championship final in school history. She was a second team selection by the league last season. Bradshaw was also invited to play in the Singles and Doubles NCAA Championships, May 22-26 in Malibu, Calif.
Palme is currently ranked 24th by the ITA with a 23-12 singles mark. Along with Bradshaw, Palme will represent the Sun Devils at the NCAA Singles Championships.
Stanford's Marissa Irvin was named Pac-10 Player of the Year while her coach, Frank Brennan, earned Coach of the Year honors. Arizona's Lindsay Blau and Michelle Gough were named the league's Doubles Team of the Year and UCLA's Sara Walker was named Freshman of the Year.
IN THE PAC: The Sun Devils play in the toughest conference in the country as seen in the national tournament bracket, where five schools (Stanford, UCLA, California, USC, Arizona State) advanced to this week's Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships. All six of the southern Pac-10 schools are ranked in the top 21, three of which are in the top 10. Stanford and California are ranked first and fifth, respectively, while UCLA is ninth and Arizona State holds down 11th. USC is 12th, followed by Arizona in the 21st spot. Individually, five of the top 10 players come from our conference and in the 100 athletes that are ranked, 26 hail from the Pac-10. A similar ratio is found in the doubles rankings, where five leage tandems are in the top 10 and nine are in the top 50.
IN THE RANKINGS: Although the Sun Devils' stay at the No. 2 spot in the country lasted briefly, as a miscalculation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association moved the squad one spot too high, the No. 3 ranking ASU earned in the March 22 edition was still the program's highest ever. During the previous week, the team moved from No. 7 to No. 4 surpassing the program's previous highest ranking, a No. 6 mark achieved during the 1997 season. A late season skid dropped the squad to it's current position in 11th. Individual rankings were published on May 3, placing sophomore Allison Bradshaw up eight spots to 15th-best in the country. Junior Karin Palme vaulted up to No. 28 from her 70th-place just last month and is currently 24th. Freshman Megan Yeats remained at 81st. In doubles, the tandem of Bradshaw and Celena McCoury are ranked 18th, up four spots from the last edition of rankings. Freshman Mhairi Brown was ranked in singles earlier in the season, as was the doubles tandem of Yeats and Brown.
MCINERNEY CLAIMS 250TH WIN: Sheila McInerney, in her 16th season at the helm of the Sun Devil program, earned her 250th career win as ASU defeated Oregon on Feb. 19. McInerney, who is averaging 16 wins per season, will lead her team to their third straight NCAA Round-of-16 showing. ASU has made NCAA appearances in 15 of McInerney's 16 seasons, including six quarterfinal finishes. During her tenure at ASU, the 1997 ITA National Coach of the Year owns a 258-153 record and has been a two-time ITA/West Region Coach of the Year honoree. Additionally, McInerney has tutored 18 Sun Devil All-Americans, 12 All-Pac-10 players and 22 conference All-Academic honorees.
FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE: Freshmen Mhairi Brown and Megan Yeats were the first two members on the team to notch 20 wins on the season as Yeats hit the mark on March 11 at USC and Brown reached the milestone vs. Washington State on April 8. Yeats currently posts a team-high 17-3 dual record while Brown is 14-6. Yeats is currently ranked 81st in the country and has an overall mark of 26-9. She won 18 of 19 matches - inlcuding a 13-match win streak - until she was stopped twice in the Bay Area on April 15. Brown boasts a 25-11 overall mark, second on the team. Her 10-match win streak was halted by Stanford's Gabriela Lastra on March 3. Both records are divided among the third through sixth spots. The pair also team up at the No. 2 doubles position where they have posted a 7-7 dual mark and are 14-9 overall. They debuted in two editions of the ITA Rankings at No. 44 but are currently unranked.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Sun Devil tennis program began the season with the new Robson Player Facility. Located on the southwest corner of the existing Whiteman Tennis Center, the spacious facility features new player locker rooms, offices, a training room and a shaded viewing terrace for spectators. Arizona State posted a 10-3 record this year at home, and over the past four seasons, is 48-16 (.750) when playing in Tempe. This season's losses came to sixth-ranked UCLA on Jan. 29, top-ranked Stanford on March 3 and No. 34 Washington on April 7.
STREAKING: Since Arizona State began keeping team records in 1967, the Sun Devils have only had one losing season in those 33 years. Losing streaks are hard to come by for such an established program, which made this year's three-match skid something to talk about. ASU dropped consecutive matches to USC, Texas and Washington before defeating Washington State on April 8. The last time the Sun Devils dropped three straight was at the end of the 1997-98 season, falling to Texas, Stanford and California. Dating back to 1986, the Lady Devils' longest win drought was six matches, occurring in both the 1987 and '89 seasons.
SWEEPING THE COMPETITION: On four occasions this season, Arizona State won a team match without dropping a set in singles competition, nor going to a tiebreaker in doubles action. The Sun Devils most recently accomplished this feat against in-state rival Arizona on Feb. 26, submitting only 19 sets between six singles matches and three doubles. Arizona State also notched such success over New Mexico, Tulsa and Texas Tech. During the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament last weekend, the Lady Devils did it again, sweeping both Army and Mississippi State 6-0 in singles play.
ITA Rankings
Team
as of May 10, 2000
| Rk. | Team | Record |
| 1. | Stanford* | 25-0 |
| 2. | Georgia* | 21-2 |
| 3. | Wake Forest* | 21-2 |
| 4. | Florida* | 21-2 |
| 5. | California* | 17-6 |
| 6. | Duke* | 21-5 |
| 7. | Pepperdine | 20-4 |
| 8. | Texas* | 20-5 |
| 9. | UCLA* | 14-8 |
| 10. | Vanderbilt* | 20-5 |
| 11. | ARIZONA STATE* | 12-7 |
| 12. | USC* | 15-8 |
| 13. | Notre Dame* | 21-6 |
| 14. | Northwestern* | 22-4 |
| 15. | William & Mary | 19-8 |
| 16. | Mississippi | 15-7 |
| 17. | South Alabama* | 19-3 |
| 18. | Tennessee* | 18-11 |
| 19. | Baylor | 21-4 |
| 20. | South Carolina | 15-11 |
| 21. | Arizona | 9-11 |
| 22. | Florida State | 16-8 |
| 23. | Clemson | 15-6 |
| 24. | TCU | 21-4 |
| 25. | Washington | 12-9 |
* Teams Advancing to NCAA Rd. of 16
Individual
as of May 3, 2000
Singles
| Rk. | Name | Team |
| 1. | Marissa Irvin | Stanford |
| 2. | Sara Walker | UCLA |
| 3. | Laura Granville | Stanford |
| 4. | Kristina Kraszewski | Washington |
| 5. | Aarthi Venkatesan | Georgia |
| - | ||
| 15. | Alison Bradshaw | Arizona State |
| 24. | Karin Palme | Arizona State |
| 81. | Megan Yeats | Arizona State |
Doubles
| Rk. | Name | Team |
| 1. | Lesenarova/Valykova | San Diego |
| 2. | Catlin/Grey | Georgia |
| 3. | Colosio/Mores | Louisiana State |
| 4. | Ashley/Irvin | Stanford |
| 3. | Curran/Jensen | California |
| - | ||
| t18. | Bradshaw/McCoury | Arizona State |
ASU in the NCAA Championships
Arizona State's match record is 11-14 (.440) since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982.
1985 - Oklahoma City, Okla. (0-1)
USC 8, Arizona State 1
1986 - Austin, Texas (1-1)
Arizona State 5, Clemson 4
USC 5, Arizona State 1
1988 - Los Angeles, Calif. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, Miami (Fla.) 4
Florida State 6, Arizona State 0
1989 - Gainesville, Fla. (0-1)
USC 7, Arizona State 1
1990 - Gainesville, Fla. (0-1)
Pepperdine 5, Arizona State 1
1991 - Stanford, Calif. (0-1)
Duke 5, Arizona State 1
1992 - Stanford, Calif. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, Arizona 2
Texas 5, Arizona State 3
1993 - Gainsville, Fla. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, UCLA 1
Florida 5, Arizona State 1
1994 - Athens, Ga. (0-1)
Kansas 5, Arizona State 3
1995 - Malibu, Calif. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, USC 2
Texas 5, Arizona State 1
1996 - Tallahassee, Fla. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, San Diego State 4
USC 5, Arizona State 3
1997 - Stanford, Calif. (1-1)
Arizona State 5, Mississippi 1
Florida 5, Arizona State 1
1998 - South Bend, Ind. (0-1)
Mississippi 5, Arizona State 2
1999 - Gainesville, Fla. (2-1)
Arizona State 6, Northern Arizona 0
Arizona State 5, Northwestern 2
California 5, Arizona State 4
2000 - Malibu, Calif. (2-0)
Arizona State 6, Army 0
Arizona State 6, Mississippi State 0
The 2000 Pac-10 Season
Final Pac-10 Team Standings
| School | Conference | Overall | |
| 1. | Stanford | 8-0 | 25-0 |
| 2. | California | 6-2 | 17-6 |
| UCLA | 6-2 | 14-8 | |
| 4. | USC | 4-2 | 15-8 |
| ARIZONA STATE | 4-4 | 12-7 | |
| 6. | Washington | 3-5 | 12-9 |
| Arizona | 3-5 | 9-11 | |
| 8. | Washington State | 1-7 | 10-12 |
| 9. | Oregon | 1-7 | 8-14 |
ASU's Pac-10 Season (4-4)
| Jan. 28 | USC* (10) | W | 6-3 |
| Jan. 29 | UCLA* (6) | L | 3-6 |
| Feb. 19 | @ Oregon* (40) | W | 5-1 |
| April 7 | Washington* (34) | L | 5-4 |
| April 8 | Washington State* (54) | W | 7-2 |
| April 14 | @ California* (4) | L | 7-2 |
| April 15 | @ Stanford* (1) | L | 7-1 |
| April 22 | @ Arizona* (20) | W | 8-1 |
ASU at the Pac-10 Singles Championships
April 27-30, Ojai, California
Round of 32
(6) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. Colleen Gray (WASH) 6-4, 6-0
(8) Karin Palme (ASU) def. Janice Nyland (ORE) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Christina Fusano (CAL) def. Megan Yeats (ASU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Faye DeVera (ASU) def. (2) Kristina Kraszewski (WASH) 6-2, 6-0
Round of 16
(6) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. Uzma Khan (ARIZ) 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
(8) Karin Palme (ASU) def. Teryn Ashley (STAN) 7-5, 6-3
Kara Warkentin (USC) def. Faye DeVera (ASU) 6-3, 6-3
Quarterfinals
(6) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. (4) Amy Jensen (CAL) 7-6 (4), 6-3
(3) Sara Walker (UCLA) def. (8) Karin Palme (ASU) 6-4, 6-3
Semifinals
(6) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. Keiko Tokuda (STAN) 6-2, 6-4
Finals
(3) Sara Walker (UCLA) def. (6) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) 6-1, 6-1
ASU at the Pac-10 Doubles Championships
Aprl 27-30, Ojai, California
Round of 16
Bradshaw/McCoury (ASU) def. Abel/Khan (ARIZ) 9-7
Borgersen/Jensen (CAL) def. Yeats/Brown (ASU) 8-4
Quarterfinals
Bradshaw/McCoury (ASU) def. Kraszewski/Wu (WASH) 8-3
Semifinals
Brymer/Warkentin (USC) def. Bradshaw/McCoury (ASU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Quality Singles Victories
Arizona State played 19 ranked teams in 21 matches this season, and has already won 26 of 59 singles matches vs. ranked opposition. Other matches have been played against opponents who weren't ranked at the time of the match, but have been ranked during 2000. The Rank column show an opponent's highest ranking for this season.
Allison Bradshaw (10)
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Zuzana Lesenarova | San Diego | 1 |
| Jewel Peterson | USC | 4 |
| Michelle Faucher | Texas | 10 |
| Chin Bee Khoo | Arkansas | 36 |
| Michelle Gough | Arizona | 59 |
| Ana Figanovic | New Mexico | 44 |
| Lindsay Blau | Arizona | 73 |
| Zuzana Stunova | Washington | 77 |
| Amelie Detriviere | MSU | 77 |
Mhari Brown (92)
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Anna Pampoulova | Kansas State | 73 |
| Annica Cooper | UCLA | 76 |
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Carlijn Buis | William & Mary | 34 |
| Kara Warkentin | USC | 42 |
| Jacqui Boyd | USC | 42 |
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Vladka Uhlirova | Texas | 70 |
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Anita Kurimay | California | 20 |
Karin Palme (24)
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Janet Walker | Texas | 15 |
| Delphine Troch | William & Mary | 27 |
| Amanda Basica | UCLA | 43 |
| Teryn Ashley | Stanford | 46 |
| Monika Gieczys | Oregon | 64 |
| Kara Warkentin | USC | 98 |
Megan Yeats (61)
| Opponent | Team | Rank |
| Sara Walker | UCLA | 6 |
| Zuzana Stunova | Washington | 58 |
| Claire Curran | California | 60 |
| Kaysie Smashey | Texas | 88 |
| Uzma Khan | Arizona | 88 |