April 12, 2007
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This Week
The No. 22 Sun Devil Women's Tennis team (10-9, 3-3 Pac-10 remains at home this weekend to host Pac-10 foe the 36th-ranked
Oregon Ducks (12-8, 0-5 Pac-10). The match is set to start at
noon on Saturday , April 14 at the Whiteman Tennis Center. The
Sun Devils are looking to see a familiar face as their Assistant
Coach for ten years, Paul Reber comes into town as the current
Head Coach of the Oregon Ducks.
Scouting the Ducks
The 36th-ranked Oregon Ducks are currently holding a 12-8 overall record
and a 0-5 Pac-10 record under
fi rst-year Head Coach and former
stand-out tennis player at ASU, Paul Reber. The Ducks head into town
with a roster packed with experience as they boast only two freshman
and six returners.
Up Next
The Sun Devils will remain home next weekend as they host the
second half of the `Duel in the Desert' as in-state and Pac-10 rivals
Arizona travel up to Tempe to take on the Sun Devils next Saturday,
April 21 at 1 p.m. PT. Last time against the `Cats this year, ASU came
out with a 6-1 win in Tucson.
Legends of the Fall
The Sun Devils had a very strong showing during their 2006 fall
season. For the
fi rst time in the program's history, Kady Pooler
and Roxanne Clarke teamed up to win an All-American Doubles
title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. They also
currently hold a #12 national ranking. At the ASU/Thunderbird
Classic Tournament in late October, senior Sabrina Capannolo,
now ranked No. 72 by the ITA, advanced to the
fi nal round of the
tournament, taking second place.
It Takes Two
The Sun Devils' No. 1 doubles team of Kady Pooler and Roxanne
Clarke entered the season ranked No. 8 nationally by the ITA, and
have since risen as high as the No. 6 doubles duo in the nation
before falling to their current rank of 12. The duo of juniors performed
remarkably well during the fall season, collecting an 8-3
record, as well as winning the
fi rst All-American Doubles Championship
in ASU program history on October 8, 2006 at the Riviera/
ITA Women's All-American Championships over Catrina and
Christian Thompson of Notre Dame.
To Be the Best...
As always, the Sun Devils will play one of the toughest schedules
in the country, possibly the toughest in program history this
year, combining a strong non-conference slate with the always
powerful Pac-10 Conference schedule. This year, the Sun Devil's
will face 8 teams currently ranked in the Top-25, including two
matches against No. 1 Stanford, No. 7 Cal and No. 8 USC.
Where they Stack up
In the ITA's eleventh poll of 2007, the Sun Devils were
ranked No. 22 as a team. Last year, the Sun Devils
fi nished
ranked No. 24 in the country after posting an 13-9 overall
record and advancing to the NCAA tournament. It marks
the 13th straight poll that the Devils have been in the top
30.
At The Helm
Coach Sheila McInerney enters her 23rd season at the
helm of the Sun Devil program, the sixth longest tenure of
any head coach at ASU, after leading last year's team to its
19th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. In
her 22 seasons, McInerney has led her team to 21 berths
in the tournament. Prior to the last two year's tournament
rounds, McInerney had led eight straight teams to the
Sweet 16. She holds a career record of 333-211 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.