The ASU women’s tennis team will take a short break from Pac-10 play to face its highest ranked opponent so far this season, No. 5 Duke, on Thursday in Tempe.
The Duke tennis team arrived in Tempe on Monday, and has been practicing at the ASU Whiteman Tennis Center the last three days to adjust to playing outside in warm weather.
“We’re expecting a really top match,” ASU senior Ashlee Brown said. “We’re really looking forward to it, and them being here that early means they’re taking us pretty seriously.”
The Blue Devils (10-2, 2-0 ACC) won their first National Championship in 2009 after defeating California in the finals.
Currently, six of Duke’s eight players are ranked in the top 75.
Blue Devil senior Reka Zsiliszka is ranked No. 9, senior Nadine Fahoum is ranked No. 39, sophomore Mary Clayton is ranked No. 55, freshman Rachel Kahan is ranked No. 56, senior Elizabeth Plotkin is ranked No. 71 and senior Ellah Nze is ranked No. 74.
“I expect they'll be tough,” ASU assistant coach Clint Letcher said. “They're a highly ranked team, and they've had a lot of success in the past.”
The Sun Devils rebuttal with senior Kelcy McKenna ranked No. 17, freshman Jacqueline Cako ranked No. 30, sophomore Hannah James ranked No. 108 and junior Michelle Brycki ranked No. 117.
Duke also has two ranked doubles teams. Nze and Fahoum are ranked No. 13, while junior Monica Gorny and Clayton are ranked No. 50.
The Sun Devils have two ranked doubles teams of their own with Brown and junior Sianna Simmons ranked No. 46, and seniors Micaela Hein and McKenna ranked No. 39.
Brown and Simmons lost their first doubles match of the season against Oregon on Saturday.
“We haven’t been playing our best,” Brown said of the doubles loss to Oregon. “This week in practices we’ve been playing a lot better.”
The last time ASU (8-2, 2-0 Pac-10) faced Duke in women’s tennis was in March 2007, when the Sun Devils fell 5-2. The two teams have faced off seven times in their history, with Duke taking four of the victories.
“It's a great opportunity for us. We're lucky to play the No. 5 team at home,” Letcher said. “It's a matter of making sure we're fully prepared, physically and mentally, and making sure we come out tomorrow with a ton of energy to take it to them.”
Reach the reporter at nicole.klauss@asu.edu
Thursday’s match
No. 5 Blue Devils at Sun Devils
When: 1:30 p.m.
Where: ASU Whiteman Tennis Center
Duke Update: Both of the Blue Devils’ losses this year were against No. 1 Florida. This will be ASU’s highest ranked opponent so far this season.
