June 1, 2000
A SEASON TO REMEMBER: Arizona State women's tennis team finished its season with a 15-8 record and a No. 9 ranking by the ITA. The Lady Devils advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1997 and will return four members of this year's lineup. Additionally, freshmen Varita Sureephong and Jennifer Baker will join the squad next season.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: Second-ranked Georgia upset top-ranked and then-undefeated Stanford 5-4 for its program's second national championship. Laura Granville of Stanford became the Singles Champion while California's Claire Curran and Amy Jensen won the Doubles Tournament. Pepperdine hosted this year's tournament at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif, May 18-26.
ASU FALLS TO FLORIDA IN NCAA QUARTERFINALS: The Sun Devils nearly pulled off its second upset in as many days but fell to fourth-ranked Florida 5-3 in a quarterfinal match May 19 at the NCAA Championships at Pepperdine's Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.
Arizona State advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1997, and fifth time in the last nine years, but was unable to defeat the Gators.
The match was tied at 3 after singles play but Florida won the first of three double matches to take a 4-3 lead. The two remaining doubles matches came down to the wire, but the Gator duo of Traci Green and Julia Scaringe closed out the Sun Devils with an 8-6 victory over freshman Mhairi Brown and Megan Yeats.
"We lost a tough one today," Sun Devil head coach Sheila McInerney said. "We lost today like we won yesterday. It went down to the wire and certainly could have gone either way."
ASU UPSETS DUKE IN ROUND OF 16: ASU upset sixth-ranked Duke 5-2 in a Round-of-16 match at the NCAA Championships.
ASU's lone senior, Kerry Giardino, teamed up with junior Karin Palme to clinch the match at No. 3 doubles. The tandem defeated Duke's Kathy Sell and Katie Granson 8-6.
In a battle of the Sun Devil vs. the Blue Devil, ASU's Megan Yeats scored first, earning a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Duke's Hillary Adams on court five. The Blue Devils countered on court two, with 37th-ranked Kathy Sell topping No. 24 Karin Palme 6-1, 6-2.
Duke took a 2-1 match lead when Erica Biro topped Faye DeVera in straight sets on court four. Arizona State's 15th-ranked sophomore Allison Bradshaw then posted a 6-2, 6-0 win over Duke's 12th-ranked Megan Miller to even the match before Giardino put the team ahead for good with her win on the third court. Freshman Mhairi Brown's win on the sixth court gave the Sun Devils their 4-2 lead after singles play.
This afternoon marked the second time Arizona State has met Duke in the NCAA Championships. Duke defeated the Sun Devils 5-1 in the second round of the 1991 tournament, but with this victory, ASU took a 3-2 edge in the overall series.
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 in Tempe May 13-14. MSU blanked Oregon 5-0 while ASU topped Army 6-0 in the first round. ASU then went on to defeat Mississippi State 6-0 in the second round.
ASU AT THE NCAAs: Arizona State has advanced as a team to the NCAA tournament in 15 of the last 16 seasons, beginning in 1985. Additionally, the Sun Devils have had representation in the singles championships each of those years and in doubles 15 of 16 years. ASU has also advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in five of the last nine seasons (1992, '93, '95, '97, 2000). The Sun Devils earned national championships in 1971, '72 and '74.
NCAA SINGLES/DOUBLES TOURNAMENT: Arizona State's Allison Bradshaw and Karin Palme were selected to the singles draw while Bradshaw and Celena McCoury competed in doubles. Bradshaw and Palme both advanced to the third round before bowing out of the tournament. Bradshaw and McCoury reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champions Claire Curran and Amy Jensen of California.
ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Three Lady Devils received All-America selections by the ITA this week. Sophomore Allison Bradshaw and junior Karin Palme earned the distinction in singles while Bradshaw and McCoury received doubles honors.
ALLISON BRADSHAW: Two-time All-American Allison Bradshaw will compete this weekend as a professional in Hilton Head Island, S.C., foregoing her final two years of eligibility. From San Diego, Calif., the sophomore completes her Sun Devil career with a 56-24 singles record. As a No. 6 seed, she advanced to the third round of this year's NCAA Singles Championship and the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket with partner Celena McCoury. Bradshaw missed seven weeks mid-season with a stress fracture in her foot. She returned in mid-April and 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 was the highest ranked player for the Sun Devils in the ITA standings, 10th-best in the country, earning All-America honors and was also named a first team All-Pac-10 selection. She played the No. 1 spot for the Sun Devils all season and finished 11-4 in dual matches and is 25-8 overall.
KARIN PALME: Junior All-American Karin Palme advanced to the third round of her first appearance in the singles tournament. Ranked 20th by the ITA, she ended her season with a 14-9 dual, 26-14 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 named an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection. She and teammate Kerry Giardino went undefeated in doubles compeition this season, 11-0 in dual matches, 12-0 overall at the No. 3 spot.
BRADSHAW/MCCOURY: Allison Bradshaw and Celena McCoury earned All-America honors in doubles this season. The duo, seeded third in the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champions Claire Curran and Amy Jensen of California.
Bradshaw and McCoury fell to the same twosome in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Championships. The pair were the only tandem ranked on the squad, finishing the season at No. 14. Bradshaw, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif., and McCoury, a junior from Canton, Ohio, went 7-3 during the dual season and 17-5 overall, while playing No. 1 Doubles for the Sun Devils. The pair 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 10 ranked opponents overall.
OUTGOING: Kerry Giardino and Allison Bradshaw will not return to the Sun Devils next season. Giardino, the team's lone senior on the 2000 squad, graduated with a degree in communications. She finishes with a career singles mark of 81 wins, 50 losses. She and doubles partner Karin Palme finished this past season undefeated at the third spot with a 12-0 mark. Bradshaw is becoming a professional, foregoing her junior and senior years of eligibility. She finishes her Sun Devil career 56-24 overall mark and will compete this weekend in South Carolina.
INCOMING: Varita Sureephong of Haines City, Fla., and Jennifer Baker of Palm Desert, Calif., will join the Sun Devil squad as incoming freshmen in the fall. Sureephong's older sister Sandy was an All-American for the University of Texas' tennis team before graduating last year. The younger Sureephong goes by Cindy, rather than Varita.
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. In the 32-player singles draw, ASU sent Allison Bradshaw, Faye DeVera, Karin Palme and Megan Yeats. The 16-team doubles draw featured ASU's 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. Bradshaw's appearance in the finals marked the first time a Sun Devil reached the championship match in school history. Complete conference results are located in the sidebar on page five.
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.
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 played 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 the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. All six of the southern Pac-10 schools finsihed the year ranked in the top 25, four of which are in the top 10. Stanford and California are ranked second and fourth, respectively, while UCLA is sixth and Arizona State holds down ninth. USC is 11th, followed by Arizona in the 24th spot. Individually, five of the top 10 players came from our conference and in the 100 athletes that are ranked, 27 hail from the Pac-10. A similar ratio is found in the doubles rankings, where five leage tandems are in the top 11 and nine are in the top 50.
IN THE RANKINGS: Arizona State finished the season ranked ninth. 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. Individually, sophomore Allison Bradshaw finished as 10th-best in the country. Junior Karin Palme vaulted up to No. 28 from her 70th-place in April and is finished 20th. Freshman Megan Yeats is 65th and junior Faye DeVera debuted in the final edition at No. 66. In doubles, the tandem of Bradshaw and Celena McCoury are ranked 14th, 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, but neither made the final listing.
MCINERNEY CLAIMS 250TH WIN: Sheila McInerney, with 16 seasons at the helm of the Sun Devil program, earned her 250th career win as ASU defeated UCLA in Los Angeles on March 10. McInerney, who is averaging 16 wins per season, lead her team to the quarterfinals of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. 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 255-154 record and has been a two-time ITA/West Region Coach of the Year honoree. Additionally, McInerney has tutored 20 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 posted a team-high 19-3 dual record while Brown finished second on the team with a 15-6 dual mark. Yeats ended her freshman campaign ranked 65th in the country with an overall mark of 28-9. She won 18 of 19 matches -inlcuding a 13-match win streak -during the heart of the season. Brown finished her first Sun Devil season with 26 wins and 12 losses, second on the team. She too had a 10-match string of victories during the regular season. Brown and Yeats' records are divided among the third through sixth spots. The pair also teamed up at the No. 2 doubles position where they posted a 6-5 dual mark and went 14-10 overall. They debuted in two editions of the ITA Rankings at No. 44 but ended the season unranked.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Sun Devil tennis program began the 2000 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.
Final ITA Rankings
Team
June 1, 2000
| Rk. | Team | Record |
| 1. | Georgia | 27-2 |
| 2. | Stanford | 30-1 |
| 3. | Florida | 25-3 |
| 4. | California | 21-7 |
| 5. | Wake Forest | 24-3 |
| 6. | UCLA | 17-9 |
| 7. | Duke | 23-6 |
| 8. | Texas | 24-6 |
| 9. | ARIZONA STATE | 15-8 |
| 10. | Pepperdine | 21-5 |
| 11. | Vanderbilt | 22-6 |
| 11. | USC | 18-9 |
| 13. | Notre Dame | 23-7 |
| 14. | South Alabama | 21-4 |
| 15. | Northwestern | 22-5 |
| 16. | William & Mary | 20-9 |
| 17. | Tennessee | 20-12 |
| 18. | Mississippi | 16-8 |
| 19. | Baylor | 22-5 |
| 20. | South Carolina | 16-12 |
| 21. | LSU | 16-11 |
| 22. | Florida State | 17-9 |
| 23. | Ohio State | 18-8 |
| 24. | Arizona | 10-12 |
| 25. | Tusla | 21-6 |
Individual
Singles
| Rk. | Name | Team |
| 1. | Laura Granville | Stanford |
| 2. | Marissa Irvin | Stanford |
| 3. | Aarthi Venkatesan | Georgia |
| 4. | Sara Walker | UCLA |
| 5. | Zuzana Lesenarova | San Diego |
| 10. | Alison Bradshaw | Arizona State |
| 20. | Karin Palme | Arizona State |
| 65. | Megan Yeats | Arizona State |
| 66. | Faye DeVera | Arizona State |
Doubles
| Rk. | Name | Team |
| 1. | Catlin/Grey | Georgia |
| 2. | Curran/Jensen | California |
| 3. | Lesenarova/Valykova | San Diego |
| 4. | Colosio/Mores | Louisiana State |
| 5. | Ashley/Irvin | Stanford |
| 14. | Bradshaw/McCoury | Arizona State |
ASU in the NCAA Championships
Arizona State's match record is 12-15(.444) 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. (3-1) Arizona State 6, Army 0 Arizona State 6, Mississippi State 0 Arizona State 5, Duke 2 Florida 5, Arizona State 3
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 -Malibu, Calif. (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
The 2000 NCAA Team Championships
First Round
May 13, Tempe, Ariz.
Arizona State 6, Army 0
Singles
| 1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. Annie Weber (ARMY) | 6-0, 6-1 |
| 2. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) def. Cheryl Hamilton (ARMY) | 6-0, 6-1 |
| 3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) def. Jennifer Blatty (ARMY) | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 4. Faye DeVera (ASU) def. Ann Collier (ARMY) | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) def. Melissa Sentelle (ARMY) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 6. Mhairi Brown (ASU) def. Lillian Lien (ARMY) | 6-0, 6-0 |
Doubles
Not contested
Second Round
May 14, Tempe, Arizona
Arizona State 6, (34) Mississippi State 0
Singles
| 1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. (93) Amelie Detriviere (MSU) | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) def. Ivana Belancic (MSU) | 7-5, 7-5 |
| 3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) def. Carole Soubis (MSU) | 6-3, 6-1 |
| 4. Faye DeVera (ASU) def. Claudia Oliveira (MSU) | 6-1, 6-0 |
| 5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) def. Andrea Lord (MSU) | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 6. Mhairi Brown (ASU) def. Anca Vasiloaica (MSU) | 6-2, 6-1 |
Doubles
Not contested
Round of 16
May 18, Malibu, Calif.
Arizona State 5, (6) Duke 2
Singles
| 1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. (12) Megan Miller (DUKE) | 6-2, 6-0 |
| 2. (37) Kathy Sell (DUKE) def. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 3. Kerry Giardino (ASU) def. Katie Granson (DUKE) | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 4. Erica Biro (DUKE) def. Faye DeVera (ASU) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) def. Hillary Adams (DUKE) | 6-0, 6-2 |
| 6. Mhairi Brown (ASU) def. Prim Siripipat (DUKE) | 7-6, 6-2 |
Doubles
| 1. (18) Bradshaw/McCoury (ASU) vs. (21) Siebel/Biro (DUKE) | Suspended |
| 2. Yeats/Brown (ASU) vs. Miller/Adams (DUKE) | Suspended |
| 3. Palme/Giardino (ASU) def. Sell/Granson (DUKE) | 8-6 |
Quarterfinals
May 19, Malibu, Calif.
(4) Florida 5, Arizona State 3
Singles
| 1. (15) Allison Bradshaw (ASU) def. (8) Whitney Laiho (Florida) | 7-5, 6-1 |
| 2. (24) Karin Palme (ASU) def. (30) Jessica Lehnhoff (Florida) | 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 |
| 3. (58) Stephanie Hazlett (Florida) def. Kerry Giardino (ASU) | 6-0, 6-2 |
| 4. (36) Baili Camino (Florida) def. Faye DeVera (ASU) | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 5. (81) Megan Yeats (ASU) def. (53) Traci Green (Florida) | 7-6, 0-6, 6-2 |
| 6. Julia Scaringe (Florida) def. Mhairi Brown (ASU) | 6-2, 6-0 |
Doubles
| 1. (11) Laiho/Lenhoff (Florida) def. (18) Bradshaw/McCoury (ASU) | 8-3 |
| 2. Green/Scaringe (Florida) def. Yeats/Brown (ASU) | 8-6 |
| 3. Palme/Giardino (ASU) vs. Camino/Hazlett (Florida) | Suspended |
The 2000 Pac-10 Season
Final Pac-10 Team Standings
| School | Conference | Overall | |
| 1. | Stanford | 8-0 | 30-1 |
| 2. | California | 6-2 | 21-7 |
| UCLA | 6-2 | 17-9 | |
| 4. | USC | 4-2 | 18-9 |
| ARIZONA STATE | 4-4 | 15-8 | |
| 6. | Washington | 3-5 | 12-10 |
| Arizona | 3-5 | 10-12 | |
| 8. | Washington State | 1-7 | 10-12 |
| 9. | Oregon | 1-7 | 8-15 |
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 |