The ASU tennis team is full of depth and experience and is looking to make some waves during its fall season.
Coach Sheila McInerney returns for her 25th season at the helm for the Sun Devils and expectations are high.
ASU returns its top three singles players from a team that went 15-8 last season and advanced to the round of 32 at the NCAA tournament.
The Sun Devils' season came to an end last May when they were ousted by Fresno State.
Junior Nadia Abdala played the majority of the season in the No. 1 singles spot, was named First-Team All Pac-10 and finished the season ranked No. 26 by the ITA.
Sophomore Kelcy McKenna occupied the No. 2 spot and made an immediate impact last season. She compiled an impressive 33-10 singles record and garnered a No. 27 ranking by the ITA. She was also named Second Team All-Conference.
Joining McKenna and Abdala is senior Laila Abdala, Nadia’s older sister. Laila Abdala played at the No. 3 singles spot last season and paired with her sister to make a formidable doubles team.
The Sun Devils’ top four performers from last year will be joined by sophomores Micaela Hein, Ashlee Brown and Amanda Martin. Although the team is made up of four sophomores, all of the players saw considerable action last season.
“The kids have worked hard,” McInerney said. “We can compete with anybody in the country.”
The Sun Devils got the chance to compete against some of the best this weekend. They began play with a three-day invitational that included GT - which finished last season ranked sixth - and the University of Georgia - which finished eighth.
ASU started slow in its first competition of the season but got better as play progressed.
The Sun Devils struggled Friday against GT. Brown came away with the only singles victory and the Sun Devils were swept in doubles play.
The Sun Devils were without Nadia Abdala, who was out with mononucleosis. She is expected to return in a couple of weeks.
Day two was much more successful for the Sun Devils, who swept UGA in doubles play.
McKenna came away with the only victory for ASU in singles, winning out of the No. 1 position.
On the final day of competition, McKenna continued to show why she was so successful last year. She paired with Hein to defeat GT in doubles. McKenna went on to lead the Sun Devils in singles against Princeton.
She secured the win at the No. 1 spot and her team followed suit, winning four of five singles matches on the day.
McInerney said that facing strong competition gave her team a chance to see where it stands.
“It was nice to get our feet wet,” McInerney said. “We got better as the week went on.”
Reach the reporter at todonnel@asu.edu.
