ASU women's tennis had a successful 2015 campaign thanks in large part to the performances of three seniors.
Occupying the number one spot in head coach Sheila McInerney's lineup, Desirae Krawczyk finished the regular season ranked number 34 in the country. She became the first Sun Devil to win the Thunderbird Invitational since 2010 and was named an All-American.
Despite being injured for part of the fall and into the spring, Scottsdale native Stephanie Vlad ended her senior campaign strong. She won seven straight matches to finish the season 11-5.
Ebony Panoho's final season as a Sun Devil will be known more for her success in doubles. However, playing in the three spot, Panoho finished with 14 singles wins and reached the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 singles championships.
All three players will certainly be missed, but the program is moving forward with the experience on the current roster.
"I don't think you really replace what you had," McInerney said. "Some schools seem to sort of reload, we don't really reload."
Instead, it's all about developing the talent that is already there and working hard in practice.
Out here grinding! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/VEyYHdNWkV
— Sun Devil Tennis (@sundeviltennis) August 31, 2016
"We're a program of improvement," McInerney said. "You don't want somebody like Sammi (Hampton) to play five her whole career because it's exciting to move up and get better, and that is what we're looking for."
After winning 24 matches as a freshman, Hampton worked hard this summer with the goal of hitting the ball harder.
"I wanted to get stronger so I can give everything I have on every shot and put the pressure on them," Hampton said.
Savannah Slaysman comes in as the lone freshman. Like Hampton last year, getting used to the collegiate level will be step number one, but she has made an impression in practice. McInerney said Slaysman is a quick learner.
This season, the team will turn to senior Kassidy Jump to provide a veteran presence on and off the court after a spectacular junior campaign.
"I think by being vocal and kind of taking the first step to doing things shows leadership," Jump said. "You need to act and show yourself as someone who people look up to and set a good example for our freshman coming in or even underclassman below us."
Last season, Jump went 23-14 in singles play and finished the year ranked for the first time in her collegiate career at 122 in the nation. For her, being ranked was a big deal, but she thinks she thought about it to much.
"(When I was) in the juniors, I would never look at the ranking, and I think that is what I need to continue to do," Jump said.
This offseason, Jump focused on improving her forehand calling it "the obvious weak part of my game."
Experience on this season's roster does not end with Jump.
Australian senior Gussie O'Sullivan compiled an impressive 27-6 singles record last year, including an undefeated record at the Tennessee Fall Invitational and an appearance in the Round of 32 at the ITA Regionals.
Coach McInerney is looking for O'Sullivan to be more aggressive this season.
"She has gotten better every year," McInerney said. "Coming in she had the mentality of wanting people to lose to me instead of having her go out there and beat people.
"(O'Sullivan) is one of our hardest workers, loves to play tennis, great kid, she is fun, she listens and she has really improved."
The Sun Devils also welcomed two junior transfers into the fold during the recruiting period: Kelly Anderson from Baylor University and Nicole Fossa Huego from Italy. McInerney had nothing but great things to say about both.
"They both love to play tennis, which is huge," McInerney said. "They really like being on the court, and they love to learn so I think that is the most important thing."
McInerney realizes there is a big learning curve for Huego coming from Italy.
"I think were just getting used to her, but she is really talented," McInerney said.
In regards to Anderson, the coaching staff is focusing on the technical aspects of her game.
"We're really trying to change some of her technique," McInerney said. "(Anderson has) picked up on it really well so far, and so I think we will probably make more improvements in her game and I think that is fun for her."
At the end of the day, McInerney tries to use the fall season as a time to teach before dual meets start in the spring.
"You have the fall to look to improve," she said. "In some ways this is the funnest part of the year for a coach."
With that in mind, the team will continue to work hard in practice with the hope that their tennis game will peak at the right time.
Reach the reporter at jjacquez@asu.edu or follow @joejacquezaz on Twitter.
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