The ASU women’s tennis team opens its fall season at the Cal Nike Invitational this weekend, and will travel to Berkeley, Calif. this Friday for its first tournament of the season.
The Sun Devils will be playing against 13 other teams.
This is the team’s first opportunity for real play and real competition. Each player will have the opportunity to play in at least six matches, whether she wins or loses. The players will compete in three singles matches and in three doubles matches.
ASU tennis coach Sheila McInerney said the team is eager to start competing.
“The first tournament out, the kids are always excited,” McInerney said. “We think the girls are hitting the ball pretty well. It is just a matter of translating that to match play.”
McInerney knows there will be tough competition at the tournament, as the Sun Devils will be competing against Cal and USC, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Conference for the 2009-2010 season.
“It’s going to be a strong field,” McInerney said. “There are probably at least 10 ranked players in the top 50 competing.”
McInerney expects the toughest competition to come from tournament host Cal. The Golden Bears went 5-2 in conference last season and 20-6 overall.
Junior Jana Juricova is Cal’s top player. Juricova, originally from the Slovak Republic, was the Intercollegiate Tennis National Indoor Championship singles runner-up last season. Her 2009 fall singles record was 16-3 overall.
The Sun Devils should be able to keep up with the competition. They fared well last season as they went 5-3 in Conference and 14-6 overall. The Sun Devils finished fifth in conference last season and have several top-ranked players on the team.
The ITA released tennis preseason rankings on Sept. 10, and four Sun Devils were among those honored.
The rankings are based on the athletes’ performances from last season. Senior Micaela Hein was ranked 32nd by the ITA, and senior Kelcy McKenna was ranked 54th. Sophomore Hannah James squeezed into the top 100, ranked at 99th. The list ranks the top 125 women’s collegiate tennis players.
Freshman Jacqueline Cako ranked third out of 10 for preseason newcomer singles ratings.
The rankings will likely change after this weekend’s tournament.
McInerney is using this tournament, and all of the fall tournaments, as an opportunity to see which players work well together in matches.
“The fall sets your individual ranking up, and helps us establish a lineup for spring,” McInerney said.
Hein and McKenna will partner up for doubles matches in the tournament. The duo made it to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NCAA Championships, and played together at the tail end of the 2010 season.
Hein is in healthy condition and is ready to play the first match in her senior year.
“I’m really looking forward to [the Invitational], and hope I do well,” Hein said. “It is weird being a senior, but I am trying to take every opportunity and make the most of it.”
Assistant coach Clint Letcher has been practicing with McKenna in the afternoons.
“I’m expecting Kelcy to play well,” Letcher said. “She has been hitting really well.”
Sophomore Hannah James and senior Ashlee Brown will be partners in the tournament this weekend. Junior Michelle Brycki will play with a new partner, junior Sianna Simmons, in absence of sophomore Nicole Smith, who is redshirting this season due to injury.
Although Smith is unable to play this year, due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, she will still be attending the tournament to help coach and encourage her teammates.
“In the past, when I’ve traveled and can’t play, [McInerney] will put me on some of the girls’ courts to help them as a coach during the match,” Smith said. “If not, I chart matches and do anything to help the girls as much as possible.”
Cako will also attend the tournament, but not be playing this weekend as she is still recovering from an illness.
Play begins Friday at the Hellman Tennis Complex at 8 a.m. The morning will start off with doubles matches.
Reach the reporter at nklauss@asu.edu
