The Chicago Blackhawks had their point streak, the Miami Heat had a historic run and now the Sun Devils want a piece of the action.
The No. 21 ASU tennis team (13-1, 3-0 in Pac-12) will look to end its last road-trip of the season by extending its unbeaten streak to 12 straight matches against Washington (9-7, 1-4) and Washington State (12-7, 1-4).
Washington presents a different stylistic matchup than hard-hitting Oregon, which ASU beat last weekend 6-1.
“They’re pretty crafty. They’re more of a crafty team than a hard-hitting team," coach Sheila McInerney said. "I think they will get more balls in play than Oregon did so they’ll be longer, tougher, more physical matches.”
McInerney expects the same from the senior-laden Washington State team that beat the Sun Devils handily last year in Pullman, Wash.
“Quite frankly, they drilled us last year," she said. "I don’t think we hardly got sets in the singles so we certainly won’t overlook them. There’s no two-ways about that.”
Shot selection will be key for senior Jacqueline Cako against WSU just like against Oregon.
“I’m trying to take the ball early, trying to move forward, and that’s kind of what you have to do against crafty people — not let them be crafty,” she said.
Cako continues to prove why she is one of the top tennis players in the country. Along with freshman Desirae Krawczyk, she is the only Sun Devil ranked in the ITA singles rankings.
Since losing to junior Katie Le of Santa Clara on Feb. 17, Cako hasn’t even lost a set. She has been climbing the singles rankings to where she currently sits at No. 23.
While Cako continues to move up in the rankings, the team as a whole hasn’t fared as well. ASU has dropped from No. 18 to No. 19 to No. 21 in successive weeks.
ASU’s schedule could be the culprit.
“It’s because we haven’t played many ranked teams,” Krawczyk said. “We’ve been winning the matches we’re supposed to be winning, so that’s all that matters.”
Cako knows what the team must do to move up.
“Those rankings are all done by a computer. It’s all about wins and losses against ranked teams,” Cako said. “What we really need to do is beat Cal or Stanford or beat some of those really top schools, and then our ranking will go up.”
The Sun Devils will soon get their chance.
After Washington and Washington State, ASU plays host to No. 6 USC, No. 4 UCLA, No. 13 Cal and No. 14 Stanford and a season-ending clash with UA.
A pair of wins on Friday and Sunday would put the Sun Devils at 15-1 before starting the toughest part of their schedule.
“It’d be great, a huge confidence booster for sure,” Cako said. “To win on the road as much as we have and to be able to come back and have all of the tough schools here, that’s definitely an advantage for us.”
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu
