The ASU women’s tennis team will start the 2012 dual season at home against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara this weekend.
Coach Sheila McInerney said she and the team would approach the two sets of equally formidable California opponents separately.
“We need to take it one at a time,” she said. “We’ll focus on Saturday first, then Sunday.”
Saturday, the Sun Devils will face UC Davis, a team full of athletes that ASU beat last year.
“Davis is a really good group,” McInerney said. “Last year, we had a lot of competitive matches against them.”
McInerney said she is confident her team will do well against UC Davis again.
On Sunday, UC Santa Barbara comes to Tempe.
“There aren’t any superstars, but it’s a very solid team,” McInerney said.
Last weekend in Las Vegas, the Sun Devils competed in many matches and had some quality wins.
Since then, they have practiced with the intention of fine-tuning their play.
“It’s all about getting better,” McInerney said. “We’ve been focusing on patterns from past tournaments and being more disciplined.”
McInerney said she and the coaching staff would finalize doubles pairs Friday, with one question mark surrounding junior Nicole Smith and freshman Leighann Sahagun.
“I’m not sure if Leighann will play,” McInerney said. “She and Nicole have been playing together, but Leighann’s wrist is still bothering her.”
McInerney said she doesn’t switch pairs often, but she might have to this weekend.
Other than the concern about Sahagun’s wrist, McInerney is excited to play UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.
“I think the matches will be in our hands,” McInerney said. “We just need to go out there and be patient and disciplined.”
Reach the reporter at dkmcinty@asu.edu
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