Senior Stephanie Vlad made her return to the court Saturday after missing the first month of the spring season to help No. 27 ASU tennis capture a 7-0 sweep over the University of San Diego.
The Scottsdale native played on the fourth court for the Sun Devils, taking her match against San Diego freshman Maria-Paula Torres (6-1, 7-5.) Vlad last saw action during the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in November before suffering a stress reaction in her shin.
"It was a good match for me to start with," said Vlad. "A little shaky there at the end but it was definitely fun to be back playing today."
Although it was a successful return for Vlad, she did not participate in doubles to start the day. Head coach Sheila McInerney said the decision was a precautionary one.
"The last thing we want to do now that she's feeling better is overdo her," she said. "The doctor basically said, 'Look, she can play one or the other, not both'. That kind of took it out of our hands which was probably a good thing."
Despite missing Vlad in doubles, ASU took the first point of the day quickly. Senior Ebony Panoho and junior Alexandra Osborne earned a win in the teams' top pairing while junior Kassidy Jump and freshman Sammi Hampton were victorious on the second court to secure the point.
In singles, the wins didn't come so easily. Senior Desirae Krawczyk battled through a 6-3, 6-3 win over San Diego's top player, Marta Stonjanovic, while Gussie O'Sullivan finished the day off with a 6-3, 7-6 win against USD freshman Colomba DiFilippo.
"We took the doubles point pretty easily and got off to a great start in the singles," McInerney said. "Credit our kids for finishing it off, but credit San Diego also for making us battle in those second sets."
Jump stayed in the second position despite Vlad's return, handling USD sophomore Drew Spinosa (6-0, 6-1). Jump has played in the two spot during Vlad's absence, going 3-1 during that time.
"I really like playing there, it doesn't feel like that big of a change from playing three," said Jump. "I don't get nervous, it's exciting to play there, especially getting the win."
Reach the reporter at mfaye@asu.edu or follow @mattGfaye on Twitter.
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