Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

ASU women's tennis takes down UNLV

The Sun Devils returned to Tempe and earned their eighth victory of the regular season

ASU senior tennis player Kassidy Jump competes in a singles match against Ohio State at Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, March 3, 2017.

ASU senior tennis player Kassidy Jump competes in a singles match against Ohio State at Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, March 3, 2017.


After tough road losses to defending national champion Stanford and No. 12 Cal, ASU women’s tennis returned home to the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe Wednesday looking to get back on track.

The No. 49 Sun Devils (8-5, 2-2) entered the afternoon’s match with No. 42 UNLV (10-6, 0-0) having not lost more than two matches in a row this season. They kept it that way, defeating the Rebels 6-1.

“It was nice to get a good win over a good team,” head coach Sheila McInerney said. "The kids hung in there and won the doubles point, which was nice. I thought we came out sluggish in the doubles. It was a noon match on a Wednesday, so I think the energy wasn’t what it normally was.”

Amidst cloudy conditions, doubles play began with UNLV and ASU locked in a dogfight on court three. Senior Kassidy Jump and sophomore Sammi Hampton’s match with senior Paola Artiga and sophomore Anna Bogoslavets was tied four games apiece, but the Sun Devil duo closed out the final two games and the match, 6-4.

Meanwhile, the Rebels controlled early points on court one. But down 4-1, senior Alex Osborne and junior Nicole Fossa-Huergo — ranked No. 58 in the latest International Tennis Association doubles rankings — won five straight games and clinched the doubles point for ASU, 6-4.

“We saw the other teams were close,” Osborne said. “We (Osborne and Fossa-Huergo) just picked up our energy together. We were missing a few (shots) here and there at the beginning. We got our rhythm and started making and going for more (shots.) Just taking more risks, calculated ones at that, and we put in more first serves and returns, and that really is what our game is.”

With ASU leading the overall match, 1-0, singles play began.

Fossa-Huergo gave ASU a 2-0 lead, after a 6-3, 6-0 win over Bogoslavets on court four. ASU's “Italian Stallion” put her more aggressive first serve on display, something she has worked hard on this month.

Junior Kelley Anderson gave ASU a 3-0 lead with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Huang on court three. Senior Gussie O’Sullivan clinched the match for ASU with a victory on court six.

The team match was decided, but Jump, who rose 32 spots in this week’s ITA singles rankings, earned a 7-6, 6-3 upset of Yang, the 27th-ranked player in the country.

“I tried to stay out there as long as possible,” Jump said. “It was pretty humid today, but my goal was to show that I wasn’t as tired as her. I just tried to work it with my backhand, and she was lobbing, so I tried to take as many out of the air as possible.”

Ranking-wise, Jump secured the biggest win of her season.

Video by: Joe Jacquez/The State Press


“I feel like I have been in a lot of matches this season and just haven’t really pulled it out,” Jump said. “It was nice to get a ranked win. It was a tough match, and she really made me work for it. I was definitely outside of my comfort zone for that match.”

Freshman Savannah Slaysman lost the first set of her match on court five, 4-6, but claimed the second and third sets, 6-1, 6-4. Hampton lost a hard fought match in a tiebreak on court two, but it was too little, too late for UNLV. 

“It was a really good test for us coming off a tough road trip, and this is one we needed to get," McInerney said.

This match was originally scheduled in January, but got rained out.

Up Next:

ASU will welcome Northern Arizona to the Whiteman Tennis Center on Friday. The Lumberjacks have won nine of their last 10 matches. First serve is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MST.


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.