Senior Hannah James strikes the ball during a match against St. Mary's on March 3. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)While playing at home is always comfortable, winning championships means winning on the road.
After knocking off No. 22 Memphis 5-2 Monday, the ASU women’s tennis team leaves the familiar confines of Whiteman Tennis Center for the first time since Feb. 13 to face Colorado on Friday and Utah on Sunday.
The biggest X-factor for ASU may be the environment. It will play indoors for the first time all year.
“It’ll be a whole new different game, because we’re playing indoors,” sophomore Joanna Smith said. “But I think if we keep the energy up when we play and fight for everything, we’ll be in good shape.”
Coach Sheila McInerney said that the team will have to prepare for the altitude as well as playing indoors.
The thinner air will cause the ball to travel faster as well as longer, forcing the Sun Devils to adjust the way they play.
ASU couldn’t get a better match to ease into Pac-12 play than against the Buffaloes (5-5), who didn’t win a single conference match last season.
The Buffaloes have lost two consecutive close matches to Wyoming and Princeton, dropping both 3-4.
Saturday will be a travel day for the Sun Devils as they head to Salt Lake City to face a Utahsquad whose lineup looks a little bit like a Rubik’s cube.
The Utes (5-2) have alternated players playing at the No. 1, 2, 4 and 5 positions all season with mixed results.
While No. 1 and 2 are strong with an 8-2 combined record between sophomore Tereza Bekerova and junior Sarah Pham.
But finding the right combination for the fourth and fifth spots have been as hard as finding the right combination to a Rubik's cube.
Four different players have played in those spots for Utah, amassing a 4-7 combined record.
Those same positions are strong points for the Sun Devils. Freshman Stephanie Vlad, playing out of No. 4, is 10-1 on the year, and senior Hannah James at No. 5 has quietly amassed an 9-1 record.
While singles has been a mixed bag for the Utes, their doubles play has been strong.
Utah has won the doubles point in four of its six matches including taking the point from then No. 11 ranked Texas. Its pairing of sophomore Tereza Bekerova and redshirt junior Paige Miles is ranked No. 17 in the country.
Meanwhile, ASU has only lost the doubles point once all season, and seniors Jacqueline Cako and Nicole Smith are the No. 40 duo nationally.
Utah and Colorado mark the start of a five-game road swing for the Sun Devils that ends March 31 at Washington State.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu
