April 16, 2003
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ON TAP: The No. 17 Arizona State women's tennis team (9-9, 2-5 Pac-10) will close out their regular season as they host in-state rival Arizona (8-11, 2-5 Pac-10) on Saturday, April 19 at 12:00 p.m. The dual will count towards the final Pac-10 standings. Earlier in the season, ASU defeated UA in Tucson by a score of 6-1.The dual was a rematch from a rainout at the start of the Pac-10 season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Devils dropped both duals to No. 4 California, 5-2 and No. 1 Stanford, 6-1. After dropping the doubles point against Cal, Cindy Sureephong stepped up and topped Jieun Jacobs 6-2, 6-2 for the first ASU point. The best match of the day, however, was No. 11 ranked Adria Engel versus No. 7 Raquel Kops-Jones. Kops-Jones snagged the lead early winning the first set 6-1, but Engel fought back to take the next two sets and the victory. Versus No. 1 Stanford, ASU dropped the doubles point again, but the highlight of the match came on court No. 1 where Engel stepped up to take down the No. 4 ranked player, Amber Liu of Stanford, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
HEAD COACH SHEILA McINERNEY: Enters her 19th season at the helm of the ASU program after leading her team to a NCAA Round of 16 appearance and a No. 9 national ranking in 2002. McInerney has also guided ASU to eight quarterfinal appearances in her tenure, and has made the NCAA tournament in 17 of her 18 seasons. McInerney was also selected as the head coach of the 2001-2002 USA Tennis Collegiate team. In 1997, McInerney was honored as the ITA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Sun Devils to a 15-7 record and a No. 7 national ranking. She also garnered 1997 Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year honors and is a three time (1988, '90, '01) West Region ITA Coach of the Year. McInerney, who owns a career record of 299-177 (.628), posted three 20-win seasons (1986, '90, '01) and has guided the Devils to 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. ASU has finished in the top-10 in five of the past six seasons and 13 times in her 18 seasons. McInerney has tutored 23 All-Americans and 13 different all-conference players.
ALL-AMERICAN NUMBERS: Senior and three-time All-American Adria Engel will look to become Arizona State's second four-time All-American selection (Reka Cseresnyes 1995-98). After capturing ASU's first Pac-10 singles title (male/female) as a sophomore, Engel is also the school's all-time leader in wins. She is the team's No. 1 player, posting a 14-4 dual record and has won seven of her past nine matches, including knocking off the No. 4 and 7 ranked players in the nation. She is currently 24-10 and holds a career record of 125-43 (.744).
DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS: As a team, Arizona State is No. 17 in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the ITA. In singles, Adria Engel is No. 11 and Dora Krstulovic comes in at No. 54. In doubles, Engel and Lauren Colalillo are No. 44.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH: Once again the Devils will face a strong non-conference slate along with the always powerful Pac-10 Conference. Thirteen ASU opponents earned NCAA bids last year, while nine of ASU's opponents are ranked in the top-25. The Pac-10 comprises five of the nation's top-10 teams and seven of the nine Pac-10 teams are ranked in the top-25.
HOME SWEET HOME: Over the past five seasons, Arizona State holds an impressive 60-18 (.769) overall dual record at the Whiteman Tennis Center, while posting a 30-9 (.769) mark the past two seasons. The Devils non-conference record is even more impressive over the past five seasons with a 48-7 (.873) mark.