May 12, 2003
Complete Women's Tennis Release in PDF Format
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ON TAP: For the seventh straight year, the Arizona State women's tennis team (11-10) will compete in the NCAA Round of 16 Team Championships, May 15-18 in Gainsville, Florida at the Ring Tennis Complex on the University of Florida campus. The Sun Devils will face host and No. 2 seed Florida (27-2) on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. (Pacific).
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: This is Arizona State's 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and holds a 19-17 overall record ... before the current NCAA system went into place in 1982, ASU won the national championship in 1971, 1972 and 1974 ... ASU has advanced out of its regional the last five years by a combined score of 50-6 ... this is ASU's seventh consecutive Round of 16 appearance and 17th overall ... ASU's best finish in the current format: Eight quarterfinals (1986, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001).
REGION 15 RECAP: In the first round, ASU shutout Illinois-Chicago 4-0 and defeated Fresno State, 4-2. Against UIC, head coach Sheila McInerney claimed her 300th career win as ASU opened by winning the doubles points and taking three singles matches for the win. Versus FSU, with the temperatures reaching into the 90's, ASU stormed back from a 0-2 deficit to take four straight singles matches, all in straight sets. After dropping the doubles point and one of the singles matches early, Dora Krstulovic, Cindy Sureephong and Mhairi Brown pulled the Devils ahead 3-2. The match then turned to court No. 5 where ASU's Lauren Colalillo was battling Kathrin Winterhalter in the second set. After winning the first set, 6-3, Colalillo was up 4-3 in the second, but Winterhalter came back to tie the set a 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. Colalillo then made several strong forehand shots and took a quick lead and eventually went on to a 7-2 tiebreaker win, as well as clinching the regional for Arizona State.
HEAD COACH SHEILA McINERNEY: Is in her 19th season at the helm of the ASU program McInerney has landed back into the NCAA Round of 16 after leading her team there in 2002 and finishing with a No. 9 national ranking. McInerney has also guided ASU to eight quarterfinal appearances in her tenure, and has made the NCAA tournament in 18 of her 19 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 301-178 (.628), posted three 20-win seasons (1986, '90, '01) and has guided the Devils to 16 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, the current ITA National Player of the Month, 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. A 2003 first-team All-Pac-10 selection, she is the team's No. 1 player, posting a 17-4 dual record and has won 11 of her last 14 matches, including knocking off the No. 4, 7 and 10th ranked players in the nation. She is currently 29-11 and holds a career record of 130-44 (.747).
DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS: As a team, Arizona State is No. 18 in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the ITA. In singles, Adria Engel dropped two spots from a career-high No. 5 to No. 7 and Dora Krstulovic comes in at No. 56.