The Pac-10, as it does nearly every year, presents tough competition for the ASU women’s tennis team.
With five schools currently ranked in the top 20, including defending national champion Stanford, the upcoming conference competition will test the Sun Devils.
1. Stanford (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10)
No. 1 Stanford has already claimed victories over UC Davis, Cal Poly, No. 24 Oklahoma and No. 7 UCLA.
Last season, Stanford claimed its 16th national championship after Mallory Burdette took a three-set victory to close a 4-3 victory over Florida.
Burdette, now a sophomore, is currently ranked No. 31. Stanford also features senior Hilary Barte and freshman Kristie Ahn, ranked No. 5 and No. 23.
Barte and now-graduated teammate Lindsay Burdette claimed the NCAA doubles title last season.
2. California (3-0, 1-0)
The No. 5 Golden Bears’ recent victory over UCLA, 4-3, shows their championship potential.
Cal junior Jana Juricova currently holds the No. 1 spot in individual ITA rankings, and she was part of the 2008-2009 NCAA doubles championship team along with No. 46 senior Mari Andersson.
Cal also features sophomore Tayler Davis, who is ranked No. 35.
3. USC (3-1, 0-0)
No. 17 USC features senior Maria Sanchez, who is ranked No. 3, and Danielle Lao, who is ranked No. 10.
Earlier this season, Sanchez claimed the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships singles title.
USC has two ranked doubles teams and has recent wins over North Carolina State, Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State.
4. UCLA (4-2, 0-2 Pac-10)
Only a few weeks into the season, the No. 7 UCLA has already fallen to Stanford (5-2) and Cal (4-3).
The Bruins feature freshman Courtney Dolehide, who is ranked No. 36, senior Noelle Hickey, who is ranked No. 57, and three ranked doubles teams.
Expect UCLA to rise in the Pac-10 standings soon.
5. ASU (3-1, 0-0 Pac-10)
The No. 20 Sun Devils are off to a strong start, featuring No. 38 freshman Jacqueline Cako in the No. 2 spot.
ASU senior Kelcy McKenna was the star of the fall season, as she took home the singles title at two tournaments: the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and the Cal Nike Invitational.
Senior Micaela Hein is currently ranked No. 74 and sophomore Hannah James is No. 90.
ASU also has two ranked doubles teams.
6. Washington (5-1, 0-0 Pac-10)
The No. 23 Huskies most recent wins have come over No. 22 Texas, No. 15 Florida State and San Diego State.
UW features the All-American duo of junior Denise Dy, who is ranked No. 6, and senior Venise Chan.
Dy went 26-5 in overall singles play last season while Chan went 23-11.
7. Arizona (5-1, 0-0 Pac-10)
The No. 58 Wildcats have improved with the addition of freshman Lacey Smyth to their roster. Playing in the No. 1 position, Smyth led the Wildcats to a recent victory over Nevada.
Junior Sarah Landsman also leads the Wildcats. In November, she won the University of New Mexico Singles Invitational.
UA has only one ranked doubles team.
8. Washington State (6-1, 0-0)
Last season, the No. 72 Cougars went 12-14 and 1-7 in the Pac-10, but this season is already looking better.
WSU has had sweeping wins over Seattle University, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga and Lewis-Clark State College this year.
The Cougars will rely on junior Elisabeth Fournier to lead the team to victories this season. Last year, Fournier broke the WSU record for all-time singles wins.
9. Oregon (4-0, 0-0)
The Ducks struggled to keep up with the rest of the schools in the Pac-10 last season, as they went 7-15 in 2010, with its only Pac-10 win over Washington State.
This year Oregon has already taken sweeping wins over Portland State and Montana, and looks to be a more competitive force with the addition of two freshman, Rabea Stueckemann and Pascale Neubert, who are playing in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.
Reach the reporter at nicole.klauss@asu.edu
