The No. 15 ASU women’s tennis team faces another tough weekend of Pac-10 competition as it takes on No. 13 USC on Friday and No. 8 UCLA on Saturday.
Both teams have had successful seasons and will present a challenge for the Sun Devils, especially in doubles play.
“They’re both good teams and both have won national titles,” ASU coach Sheila McInerney said.
ASU defeated USC (13-5, 2-3 Pac-10) earlier in the season on March 16 with a close 4-3 win.
The doubles have been a strong point for the Sun Devils, but ASU (13-5, 3-2 Pac-10) was unable to beat USC in the doubles in their last meeting, losing all three matches.
“We lost the doubles point last time,” McInerney said. “We don’t expect it to be anything but a tough match.”
USC’s tandem of Kaitlyn Christian and Maria Sanchez is the No. 5 team in the nation, and the duo of Alison Ramos and Valeria Pulido is ranked No. 21, according to the International Tennis Association.
Sanchez is also currently ranked No. 1 in singles.
Saturday’s match will be the first time that ASU meets UCLA this season.
The Bruins (14-5, 4-1) are also strong in doubles play with three ranked doubles teams.
“Their doubles is really good,” McInerney said. “They are deep all the way down the line. They don’t have any holes in their lineup.”
The tandem of Courtney Dolehide and Andrea Remynse is ranked No. 13, and the duo of Noelle Hickey and McCall Jones is ranked No. 27.
Five UCLA players are also ranked in singles. Hickey is ranked No. 44, Jones is No. 58, Remynse is No. 61, Dolehide is No. 90 and Pamela Montez is No. 112.
There is a lot of buildup for these two matches. If the Sun Devils win this weekend, they might have a chance to host a round in the NCAAs later this year.
“Everyone is really excited about this weekend,” ASU senior Micaela Hein said. “I definitely think we’re in a different spot than last year. Last year we didn’t have the chance to host the NCAAs, and that is definitely something we hope to accomplish this year.”
Aside from a few minor aches and pains, McInerney expects everyone will be healthy for this weekend’s competition.
“The biggest thing now is keeping the kids fresh,” McInerney said. “It will be a rough weekend, and they have to be physically ready to go.”
Reach the reporter at nicole.klauss@asu.edu
