Then-Sophomore Ebony Panoho returns the ball with a backhand in a match against Colorado on April 4. (Photo by Mario Mendez)The Sun Devils are getting some help from down under.
Believe it or not, ASU tennis is accustomed to harboring recruits from Australia. In fact, associate head coach Clint Letcher (who once played for ASU men's tennis) is Australian himself, and serves a role in helping find recruits from his native country.
The team has three players from Australia on its roster: junior Ebony Panoho and sophomores Gussie O'Sullivan and Alex Osborne.
Coach Sheila McInerney said that Letcher's connections back home essentially helped land them all three of the girls, and that the team has had success reaching out to The Land of Wonder before.
"I mean we’ve had Australians in the past," she said. "Michelle Brycki was a very good player; Ashley Brown — I think our men’s team used to have quite a few Australians, too. Obviously, Clint was on our men’s team. So I think that has helped."
Together, Panoho, O'Sullivan and Osborne provide ASU with one of the more diverse athletic groups on campus.
Panoho, the eldest of the three, hails from Brisbane, Australia. She described her transition from home to the U.S. as good, citing the similar weather as being something she's found enjoyable over the years.
"It’s been great," said Panoho. "I feel like my game has developed a lot since I got here and I think that I’ve improved a lot, so it’s really been beneficial for my tennis to come here."
McInerney said that Panoho — currently the No. 123 singles player in the country — was heavily recruited coming out of high school.
"Ebony was really highly recruited," she said. "Texas recruited her; Virginia, too. ... She had quite a few trips, and she was one of the best players in Australia."
Panoho credited her coaches at ASU for her improved movement and forehand mechanics during her serve during her time here.
O'Sullivan grew up in a household of athletes. Her mother played professional tennis, her father played Australian football and is the manager of Carlton Football Club of the Australian Football League, her sisters play netball and her brother plays Australian Football and cricket.
"I guess I’ve always grown up in sports," she said. "I grew up playing other sports as well, like netball and cricket. We’re definitely more of a sporty family than an academic, but we were never pushed into it or anything but because we grew up with it we all kind of went towards it."
O'Sullivan's mother was actually a friend of both McInerney and Letcher, which led to the connection of O'Sullivan coming to ASU.
Osborne is from Sydney, Australia, and has built a rapport with Panoho in doubles competitions over the course of her two years with the team.
“It’s really good," said Osborne. "We understand each other. We learn. Australians play a bit more aggressive doubles and we kind of play a certain way and I think that we kind of understand each other on stuff like that. We have good communication, which is pretty good."
McInerney agreed with Osborne, describing her as one of the more aggressive doubles players the team has on the squad, as well as Panoho, describing their styles of play as the reason the two have been able to play so well together.
Osborne noted how much she's learned during her time with the team.
“I’ve learned a lot," she said. "I think, in terms of tennis, I've definitely improved as a player and smarter as a tennis player, especially in doubles here."
"Back at home in doubles, when you play in the juniors, you’re kind of more playing like you’re playing singles on a doubles court, just from the baseline. Here, they really encourage you to be more at the net."
All three have had a successful stint thus far with the team. They each said adjusting took some effort as far as getting used to accents, making friends in class, driving on opposite sides of the road and even a difference in popular sporting events, but are getting along just fine.
"It’s a little bit of a culture difference," O'Sullivan said. "Other than that it’s been such a good opportunity because in Australia we didn’t really have college sports like this, so it’s just an amazing opportunity for all of us three. To go overseas and enjoy that experience and plus get an education and play tennis it's pretty cool."
"I love it," Osborne said. "I’m really fortunate to be at a Pac-12 school that’s a really big school. It doesn’t feel as big as the actual population says when you get to know people in some of your classes. It’s a really good environment. I love it."
Reach the reporter at kajone31@asu.edu or follow @kaelenjones on Twitter.
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