Competing well in tough situations against Pac-10 teams has been a strong point for the ASU women’s tennis team this year.
The No. 14 Sun Devils (15-6, 4-2 Pac-10) will play at the Pac-10 Championships in Ojai, Calif., on Thursday for the opportunity to earn an NCAA appearance.
ASU won’t have to worry about beating the top-ranked teams that proved to be too much for the Sun Devils during the regular season. Instead, the Pac-10 Championships are set up as an individual tournament.
“From a team standpoint, we’re set where we’re at,” ASU coach Sheila McInerney said.
The Pac-10 is one of the toughest conferences in the country, and the top three players in the country will all be competing. California’s junior Jana Juricova holds the No. 1 spot, followed by USC’s senior Maria Sanchez at No. 2 and Stanford’s senior Hilary Barte at No. 3.
Overall, eight of the top-20 players in the nation are in the Pac-10 conference.
The conference championships provide one last opportunity for players to collect victories and boost their rankings in order to make it to the NCAAs.
The NCAA Championships take the top 64 players in singles and the top 32 doubles teams.
“The big thing about this is that it gives the kids, from an individual standpoint, a chance to get into the individual portion of the NCAAs,” McInerney said.
ASU already has two top-ranked players in singles that will make the NCAAs. Freshman Jacqueline Cako is ranked No. 12, while senior Kelcy McKenna is ranked No. 17, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
ASU senior Micaela Hein is currently ranked No. 68, and if she can pull off some wins against ranked players this weekend, she may have a chance to improve her individual ranking and qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championships.
“I see this weekend as an opportunity,” Hein said. “A lot of the other conferences don’t give you individual conferences. They have team-based ones. I think it’s awesome the Pac-10 has the individual tournament to allow people like me to get to the NCAA tournament.”
Hein has shown the ability to beat highly ranked opponents throughout her career.
“Last time we played, against UCLA, Micaela beat Noelle Hickey who was ranked No. 20 in the country,” McInerney said. “If she can get a win or two over ranked kids, it’s going to help her a lot.”
Last year Hein made it to the quarterfinals in singles at the Pac-10 Championships, but was forced to drop her match due to a stress reaction in her foot.
She is hoping to stay healthy during this year’s tournament.
“This is by far my favorite time of the year, so I’m really excited,” Hein said. “I feel good and I’m healthy. I’m really pumped for this tournament.”
Hein took victories in last year’s Pac-10 Championships over Washington State sophomore Andjela Kankaras (6-1, 6-2) and Stanford sophomore Mallory Burdette (6-3, 7-5), who is currently ranked No. 20.
Hein and McKenna will also be competing for a chance to appear in doubles at the NCAA tournament. The duo is currently No. 24 in the nation.
ASU will only send five players to the Pac-10 Championships this year.
“We’re coming off a few injuries,” McInerney said. “The kids that are going are excited, and you just hope the kids that are going are ready to play.”
ASU senior Ashlee Brown, Cako and sophomore Nicole Smith will not be joining their teammates because of injuries.
While Smith has been used to staying at home because of a season-long injury, this is the first time that Brown has been out this season.
She sprained her ankle over a week ago while hiking and will not be able to compete in the Pac-10s.
Cako is still recovering from a concussion she suffered during the USC match on April 8. She broke her nose in doubles play when teammate junior Michelle Brycki accidentally hit her with her racquet. Due to the extreme blood loss from her nose, Cako fainted and hit her head during singles play later that match.
This is Cako’s second time sitting out this season, as she was forced to miss the majority of the fall season due to an illness.
McInerney expects to have Brown and Cako healthy by the time the NCAA Championships start on May 13.
Reach the reporter at nicole.klauss@asu.edu
