The ASU women’s tennis team is more than ready to meet Washington State after a brief break from play.
ASU coach Sheila McInerney said that though the break was nice, the team is eager to compete.
“Practices have been going well,” McInerney said. “Everyone’s trying to work on individual things. After a couple of weeks of practice, the girls are really chomping at the bit to play.”
When they last played on March 2 and 3, the No. 27 Sun Devils swept Sacramento State and St. Mary’s College in a show of discipline and skill.
“Getting those two wins was great,” McInerney said. “It gave us a confidence boost, and we played some tough matches.”
Since then, the Sun Devils have taken some time off to rest and have returned to practiced with renewed vigor.
“Everyone’s different, and everyone has different things to work on,” McInerney said. “When they can, the girls pop over for an hour or two between classes to get some individual practice time in.”
Starting with Washington State, the Sun Devils face six straight weeks of competition.
“This was our last break,” McInerney said. “It’s good though, because as a team, you get better the more you play.”
After Washington State, the Sun Devils will face Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and USC. The Pac-12 championships will take place near the end of April.
“Our schedule ended up being tough, especially at the end, but that’s OK,” McInerney said. “We’ll find out how strong we are with more competition.”
The Cougars are coming off a 5–2 win over Boise State. Junior Liudmila Vasilieva, who is currently 26–2, holds the best record by a Cougar player since beginning conference play in 1999.
“Washington State has a very good team,” McInerney said. “We need to just take it one match at a time.”
One Sun Devil who won’t be on the courts this Sunday is junior Nicole Smith, who has a knee injury.
“We don’t want to take any chances with Nicky’s health, so we’re waiting for her knee to improve before she plays,” McInerney said.
Bumps and bruises are common at this stage of the season, but McInerney said the best method of dealing with it is not giving it too much attention.
“Right now, tennis and academics are equal priorities for the girls,” McInerney said.
Play starts this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in Pullman, Wash. Until then, the Sun Devils are working out in Tempe.
“We’ve been spending a lot of quality time together, teaching and practicing,” McInerney said. “That’s all you can do, and then see where you end up … Sure, it’s cliché, but it’s true.”
Reach the reporter at dkmcinty@asu.edu
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