April 3, 2002
ON TAP: The 11th-ranked Arizona State women's tennis team (10-5, 0-2 Pac-10) will continue Pac-10 Conference play hosting Washington State (9-6, 1-2 Pac-10) on Friday, April 5 at 1:30 p.m. and 18th-ranked Washington (13-5, 1-2 Pac-10) on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Both matches, played at the Whiteman Tennis Center, will count towards the conference standings. Last year on the road, the Sun Devils spit the two duals, falling to Washington 4-3 and defeating Washington State, 5-2.
LAST TIME OUT: The Sun Devils were set back by two conference losses to the Los Angeles schools, falling 5-2 to No. 16 USC and 6-1 to No. 8 UCLA. In both duals, the Sun Devils were swept in doubles. In singles action against USC, both Dora Krstulovic and Mhairi Brown came up with big wins. Krstulovic defeated USC's Luana Magnani 5-7, 7-6, and 11-9 in a tiebreaker, while Brown captured a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Maureen Diaz. Against UCLA, Krstulovic's 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over UCLA's Sara Walker was the lone point ASU earned.
HOME SWEET HOME: Over the past five seasons, Arizona State holds an impressive 58-17 (.773) overall dual record at the Whiteman Tennis Center. ASU is 21-5 dating back to last season.
HEAD COACH SHEILA McINERNEY: Sheila McInerney enters her 18th season at the helm of the Sun Devil program after leading her team to its sixth quarterfinal NCAA appearance in 10 years. ASU has made NCAA tournaments in 16 of McInerney's 17 seasons. ASU highlights from 2001 include a 20-6 overall record (McInerney's third 20-plus win season and her highest winning percentage as a head coach (.769)), an All-American selection, an All-Conference selection, the school's first Pac-10 Conference singles champion, four players earning national rankings and three academic All-Conference honorees. ASU ended the year as the seventh best team in the country. Additionally, McInerney was selected as the head coach of the 2001 USA Tennis Collegiate team. The USA Tennis Collegiate team, an elite training program for the top American collegiate tennis players, is administered by the USTA and ITA.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS: Adria Engel checks in at No. 20, Dora Krstulovic comes in at No. 29 and Mhairi Brown is No. 74. In doubles, Engel and Krstulovic are No. 24, while Brown and Megan Yeats are No. 42.