April 9, 2001
ON TAP: Fourteenth-ranked Arizona State (14-4, 6-4) will take on the No. 11 University of Texas on Tuesday at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe at 1:30 p.m. (MST). Tomorrow's match against the Longhorns will be the first of a four-match home swing against ranked squads as the Devils' regular dual season comes to a close.
KEEP IT ROLLIN': ASU remains undefeated at home (11-0), and has defeated nine of its eleven home foes by a 7-0 sweep. The Devils are coming off a win over Washington State on Friday and a tough 4-3 loss against the Huskies of Washington on Saturday. The Devils will look to extend their unbeaten home winning streak against Texas before they finish the regular season against Stanford, California, and Arizona. Last year, ASU fell to the Longhorns, 6-3, in Austin.
WORTH WATCHING: This year, freshman Cindy Sureephong accompanies experienced transfer Adria Engel, who is currently ranked No. 12. As a Devil, Sureephong has compiled an 19-4 record while going 15-2 in dual action. Recenty, Engel has defeated No. 14 Sara Walker from UCLA, No. 20 Jewel Peterson from USC, Washington State's No. 34 Erica Perkins, and No. 8 Kristina Kraszewski from Washington. Engel, the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, is currently 15-3 for the Devils on the No. 1 court. She was also named ITA's National Rookie of the Year before transferring to Arizona State from Wake Forest. Also, ASU's hard-hitting trio of Faye DeVera, Mhairi Brown, and Cindy Sureephong hold a 41-6 combined dual record on courts Nos. 4, 5, and 6.
HEAD COACH SHEILA MCINERNEY: In her 17th season as head coach of the Sun Devils, the former USC All-American currently ranks second in ASU school history with 269 wins. McInerney has coached 14 different All-Americans and has guided the Sun Devils to NCAA tournament play each of the past 13 seasons. With the help of three All-Americans last season, McInerney and her squad reached the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament after knocking off Duke University in the round of 16.
IN THE RANKINGS: Five ASU players are currently listed in the nation's top rankings by the ITA. In singles action, No. 12-ranked Adria Engel is accompanied by No. 63-ranked teammate Megan Yeats and No. 88-ranked Mhairi Brown. Engel has earned a 15-3 record on the No. 1 court, and Yeats (21-8) has posted a 13-5 record on the No. 3 court thus far. As a doubles team, the Adria Engel/Karin Palme tandem posts a No. 41 ranking, and the Mhairi Brown/Celena McCoury combo ranks No. 28.