April 25, 2006
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The No. 24 Arizona State Sun Devils women's tennis team closed out its regular season with a 5-2 win over No. 35 Arizona last weekend, earning a fifth place finish in the Pac-10 standings and a series sweep against the rival Wildcats this season. This weekend, the Devils (13-8; 4-4) will travel to the 106th annual Ojai Tennis Tournament for the 2006 Pacific-10 Individual Championships in a final tuneup before NCAA tournament play begins in mid-May.
Match-Ups
In the singles tournaments, the Sun Devils top three players (Capannolo, Clarke, Pooler) were entered into the main draw while the other three (Leitch, Abdala, Rankin) are in the Invitational draw. In doubles, Kady Pooler and Roxanne Clarke drew a top-four seed in the Championship bracket and Sabrina Capannolo and Jessica Leitch earned entry into the bracket as well. Wendy Pilecka and Laila Abdala were selected as a top-four seed in the Invitational bracket, earning a free pass to the quarterfinals with a first-round bye. Information about the Sun Devils draws is included on Page 4.
Last Time Out
The Sun Devils earned a Pac-10 road win to finish the conference schedule at an even 4-4 after defeating the No. 35 Arizona Wildcats, 5-2, in Tucson. Two Sun Devils earned upsets as Kady Pooler defeated No. 68 Juliette Mavroleon, 7-6, 6-3, and No. 120 Sabrina Capannolo earned a Pac-10 Player of the Week nomination with a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 38 Danielle Steinberg.
Making History, Two At A Time
The Sun Devils' No. 1 doubles players Kady Pooler and Roxanne Clarke have thus far cemented their names in the ASU record books after an incredible season so far. Their win total of 24 marks the single-season win record for any double team in ASU history. As well, their win percentage of .750 (24-8) is currently the third-best single season mark in school history (min. 20 matches). They won their second straight match in Tucson last Saturday one week after upsetting the nation's No. 1 ranked doubles team of Anne Yelsey and Alice Barnes of Stanford which helped them reach their current ranking of No . 21 in the national ITA doubles poll. Earlier this season, they became just the fourth doubles team in school history to reach the 20-win plateau, putting them in some very elite company. Here's a look at the top 10 doubles teams in school history:
TOP DOUBLES TEAMS IN ASU HISTORY
Season Natl Rank Ovr. Record Win Pct.1. Kori Davidson/Meredith Geiger 1994 #6 18-5 .783
2. Cindy Sureephong/Megan Yeats 2001 #35 22-7 .759
3. Kady Pooler/Roxanne Clarke 2006 #21 24-8 .750
4. Allison Bradshaw/Celena McCoury 2000 #14 17-5 .739
5. Katy Propstra/Stephanie Lansdorp* 1998 #10 22-8 .733
6. Carol Coparanis/Laura Glitz 1986 -- 19-7 .731
7. Kori Davidson/Kara Schertzer 1993 -- 18-7 .720
8. Katy Propstra/Stephanie Lansdorp 1997 #15 16-9 .640
9. Mhairi Brown/Celena McCoury 2001 #17 21-14 .600
10. Katy Propstra/Allison Bradshaw* 1999 #11 18-14 .563
* Earned All-American Honors in Doubles
Where they Stack up
In this week's Fila ITA poll, ASU found itself ranked No. 24. It marks the 18th straight poll in which the Sun Devils have been in the top 30, every poll of the 2006 season, and their 15th straight in the top 25.
Individual Rankings
The Sun Devils have two ranked singles players currently and one ranked doubles team. Roxanne Clarke has been ranked No. 65 in the last poll (up from No. 74) and Sabrina Capannolo rose to No. 106 (from 120). Roxanne Clarke and Kady Pooler are currently ranked No. 21 in doubles.
To Be the Best...
The Sun Devils have without a doubt played one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedule in the country this year, combining a difficult non-conference slate with the powerhouses that form their schedule in the Pac-10 South. The Sun Devils have played six matches against top 10 teams (1-5) and 10 matches against the top 25 (4-8). Against ranked opponents this year, the Devils are 8-8, having only played five unranked teams.
20-20 Club
With her two singles wins and two doubles wins against the Washington schools, junior Rebecca Rankin won her 21st singles match and her 20th doubles match to become the second Sun Devil on this year's squad to record 20 victories in both categories, joining junior Roxanne Clarke.
Clarke Honored By Pac-10 Again
Junior Roxanne Clarke was again honored by the Pac-10, this time for singles, as the Conference's Player of the Week for March 20 - 26. No. 98 Clarke defeated Arizona's No. 54 Danielle Steinberg, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5). This was Clarke's first Pac-10 Player of the Week honor on the singles court and second weekly honor all-time for Arizona State. Clarke and her doubles teammate, Kady Pooler, were named Conference Players of the Week as a doubles team on Feb. 27.
Honors for Coach Mac
Sheila McInerney was named the Phoenix Womens Sports Association's 2005 Female Coach of the Year at the university level. She will be honored on Feb. 11 at the PWSA's annual banquet which corresponds with the end of ASU's Women and Girls in Sports Week. McInerney was honored not only for her accomplishments during her 22 seasons at ASU, but also for her contribution to "helping girls and women find their power through sports."
At The Helm
Coach Sheila McInerney enters her 22nd season at the helm of the Sun Devil program, the seventh longest tenure of any head coach at ASU, after leading last year's team to its 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. In her 21 seasons, McInerney has led her team to 20 berths in the tournament. Prior to last year's exit in the second round, McInerney had led eight straight teams to the Sweet 16. She holds a career record of 333-210 (.613) and has posted three 20-win seasons in her career. ASU has finished in the top-10 of the nation an astounding 13 times under McInerney's tutelage.