After a week of practice, the ASU women’s tennis team is on the road again facing UCLA and USC.
The Sun Devils will play two of the best Division I women’s tennis teams in the country, No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC.
Last weekend, ASU played Stanford and Cal, and despite a strong resolve going into the matches, lost 7–0 to both teams.
Coach Sheila McInerney said the two losses haven’t sidetracked the team.
“We’re fine,” she said. “We could have played better, but Stanford and Cal are really good.”
The two losses brought ASU’s record to 10–5 on the 2012 duals season, and 2–3 in Pac-12 play with victories against Oregon and Washington.
“We had chances against Stanford,” McInerney said. “Michelle and Joanna were strong, and even against Cal, Joanna drew a three-setter. It’s just never going to be easy against these teams.”
The Sun Devils’ hope is to bounce back stronger and smarter against the upcoming top-tier teams and win a few matches.
Part of this is the return of senior Sianna Simmons. Simmons didn’t play last weekend. Her absence caused the team to lose a player and forfeit points.
“Sianna hasn’t had much time to practice because this was a short week, but it will be helpful to have her back,” McInerney said. “With her back, we can return to our regular roster and everyone will be more comfortable.”
Next weekend, the No. 29 Sun Devils will return home and play Utah and Colorado at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
Until then, the team will focus on besting their southern California rivals.
“Nobody’s beaten (UCLA), so it’s fun to try,” McInerney said. “We’re healthy and ready to go.”
The Sun Devils will play UCLA on Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT and USC on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. PT in Los Angeles.
Reach the reporter at dkmcinty@asu.edu
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