The No. 26 ASU tennis team (14-7, 5-4) will look to extend ASU’s lead in the race for the Territorial Cup Series when it takes on No. 53 Arizona on Friday.
The match will not only mark the close of the 2015 dual-match season, but will also indicate the final home match for seniors Joanna Smith and Leighann Sahagun.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Smith said. “But, I think everyone’s excited, especially since it’s against our rival. We’re hoping to take them down.”
For ASU, the team comes in ranked outside of the top-25 rankings for the first time since the team started Pac-12 play, being slotted at No. 26 this week.
In singles, the Sun Devils now feature two players ranked in the top 100, as junior Desirae Krawczyk entered the week as the No. 32-ranked player in the country, with Sahagun joining her as No. 99 in the nation.
Sahagun’s spot on the rankings marks the first time another ASU player has been ranked since Feb. 10.
“I looked and thought, ‘This has to be a typo,’” Sahagun said. “I haven’t looked up any rankings all year, and when I saw that I thought, ‘Oh, my God!’”
Sahagun has had to battle from a torn meniscus injury that nearly jeopardized her final season with the team. Since returning, she has registered an 8-2 overall record leading to her current standing in the rankings.
In doubles, Krawczyk and junior Stephanie Vlad form the No. 32-ranked pair in the nation. Smith and sophomore Kassidy Jump are currently the nation’s No. 52-ranked duo.
The visiting Wildcats will also feature ranked members within their lineups.
Sophomore Lauren Marker enters as the No. 58 singles player in the country, and senior Briar Preston is No. 94.
Preston and junior Shayne Austin currently form the No. 28-ranked doubles pair in the country.
On paper, the Sun Devils will surely be favored. However, no one is entering the match without an understanding of the type of fight their rivals will put up.
Smith said she thinks the team needs to enter with a tough and focused mentality, and that everyone is looking forward to taking on their rival from down south.
“This is our rival,” Smith said. “It’s a big match just because of the Territorial Cup, and — especially playing them at home — it’s gonna be huge for us to take advantage of our home crowd.”
“It’s always a tough match,” head coach Sheila McInerney said. “They’ve got a lot to play for. I think if they have any chance of getting into the tournament I think they’re gonna have to beat us, so they’ll be ready for it.”
After last season’s defeat in Tucson, the Sun Devils will look to avenge themselves with a win in what will be their senior members’ last home match of their careers.
“I’m so ready to win. I really am,” Sahagun said. “I have this feeling that the team is really bonding right now, and I feel like we all have this goal of beating them. I know that the team wants a really good senior day; Joanna and I want the best senior day you could imagine. We’re just gonna really bring it, and they need to be afraid.”
The Sun Devils’ last match of the regular season against Arizona will begin at 12:30 p.m. in Tempe.
The match will also be aired on the Pac-12 Network.
Reach the reporter at kajone31@asu.edu or follow @kaelenjones on Twitter.
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