Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

ASU women's tennis falls 4-3 in hard-fought battle with No. 13 Texas Tech

Five of the six singles matches went the distance, but the Red Raiders got the job done late

Sammi Hampton, Sophomore, competes in the 2nd round of the Doubles Tournament at the 2016 ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe AZ, Nov. 5,
Sammi Hampton, Sophomore, competes in the 2nd round of the Doubles Tournament at the 2016 ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe AZ, Nov. 5,

After a thrilling 4-3 upset of No. 16 South Carolina Saturday, ASU women’s tennis once again found itself in a competitive match with another ranked opponent on Sunday, No. 13 Texas Tech University.

Senior Gussie O’Sullivan lived up to her reputation and was involved in the last singles match of the day. With the score tied at three points apiece, O’Sullivan and TTU junior Katelyn Jackson had a bid into the ITA Indoor Championships on the line.

O’Sullivan ultimately fell to Jackson in three sets, and the Sun Devils dropped a tough 4-3 decision in front of a raucous crowd at McLeod Tennis Center in Lubbock, Texas. 

At the end of the day, head coach Sheila McInerney was proud of her team’s never-say-die attitude.

"(I) thought today was a great college tennis match and unfortunately we came out on the short end of it," McInerney said. "We played great doubles again today and had a bit of momentum going into the singles. From then on it was a dogfight as five matches went three sets. Both teams competed their hearts out and I was proud of our effort.”

ASU prides itself on its doubles play, and for the second day in a row made it look easy against a great opponent.

Just like Saturday, senior Kassidy Jump and sophomore Sammi Hampton finished first on court three, defeating TTU sophomore Felicity Maltby and junior Gabriela Talaba, 6-0. The Sun Devil duo has won 30 of 35 games in January.

Senior Alexandra Osborne and junior Nicole Fossa-Huergo clinched the point for ASU and earned their third-straight victory on court one, 6-1. For the third consecutive match, junior Kelley Anderson and freshman Savannah Slaysman, did not finish their match.

For most of the day, both teams were evenly matched in singles. TTU got on the board first when sophomore Alex Valenstein beat Fossa-Huergo, 6-4, 6-1 — the only singles match of the day decided in straight sets.

Despite losing the first two sets, junior Kelley Anderson continued her strong start to the season and won the final two sets, 6-1, 6-3, on court three. Texas Tech grabbed the lead after Talaba defeated Jump, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, and Red Raiders junior Sabrina Federici took care of Slaysman, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

With the win, Texas Tech clinched the program’s second-straight appearance in the ITA Indoor Championships, while ASU gets two weeks off.

Up Next:

ASU returns to dual-match action on Feb. 17 when it hosts the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Whiteman Tennis Center. First serve is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.


Reach the reporter at jpjacqu1@asu.edu or follow @joejacquezaz on Twitter.

Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.


Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.

Subscribe to Pressing Matters



×

Notice

This website uses cookies to make your experience better and easier. By using this website you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.