The national rankings proved their accuracy as the ASU women’s tennis team lost to the No. 8 and No. 17 teams in the country over the weekend in Los Angeles.
Both No. 17 USC and No. 8 UCLA were able to knock off the No. 21 Sun Devils in close duals. ASU lost to the Women of Troy 5-2 and the Bruins 4-3.
ASU (12-5, 4-3 Pac-10) played well in doubles after being forced to switch the lineup against USC (13-7, 5-1 Pac-10), but it lost two close matches to give up the doubles point.
ASU juniors Kelcy McKenna and Micaela Hein lost in the No. 1 slot 8-6 and junior Ashlee Brown and sophomore Sianna Simmons lost in the No. 3 slot 8-5.
ASU senior Nadia Abdala and sophomore Michelle Brycki won a close match 9-8 over USC freshman Valeria Pulido and sophomore Alison Ramos.
Singles play went much quicker, as the top of ASU’s lineup struggled.
Only Brycki in the No. 5 spot and Simmons in the No. 6 spot were able to record victories, giving the Women of Troy a 5-2 win.
“I thought we were really competitive in the doubles,” ASU coach Sheila McInerney said. “I thought we played well, and for whatever reason, we just didn’t come out nearly as tough as we needed to in the singles.”
None of the matches went to a third set.
“It wasn’t what it needed to be against USC,” McInerney said.
The lineups were changed again against UCLA (18-3, 5-1 Pac-10) on Saturday, and ASU was without Abdala.
The senior finished against USC with a sore shoulder, one that she had problems with in the fall, and McInerney didn’t want to take any chances.
“If she had reinjured it severally, it wouldn’t have been worth it,” she said.
ASU freshman Hannah James replaced Abdala in doubles and paired up with Brycki to give ASU its only doubles victory.
The two other tandems of Hein and McKenna and Brown and Simmons fell in close 8-5 matches.
Singles was one victory short of defeating the Bruins but had several upsets.
Hein defeated the nation’s No. 5 player in UCLA senior Yasmin Schnack, and No. 80 McKenna knocked off No. 43 UCLA junior Noelle Hickey.
Brycki defeated UCLA freshman Pamela Montez for the third and final Sun Devil victory in a 4-3 loss.
She is now 13-0 in dual matches on the season.
“We were feisty, we were good and we believed we could win,” McInerney said. “That’s important going forward.”
ASU will travel down to Tucson for its final dual match of the season Saturday.
Reach the reporter at nathan.meacham@asu.edu
