Freshman Stephanie Vlad stretches out her arm to toss the ball for a serve against Saint Mary’s on March 2. The Sun Devils will rely on Vlad when they take on Oregon this weekend. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)After a 12-day break, the No. 19 ASU tennis team will be back on the road again come Friday.
The Sun Devils (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12) hit the halfway mark of their five-game road stint on Friday against a big-hitting Oregon team.
“They’re good ball strikers," coach Sheila McInerney said. "It’s the type of team where the points don’t go super long. They just hit the ball harder than a lot of people do, because they’re used to playing indoors.”
The Ducks (10-3, 0-2 Pac-12) will be the third straight team ASU has played on faster indoor courts, so the conditions are nothing new. The weather at the Whiteman Tennis Center has helped to simulate what they will encounter in Eugene, Ore.
“We’ve had the kids hit a lot of returns, a lot of quick returns this week, trying to make sure we’re serving well, things like that,” McInerney said. “The good thing is here, because the air is pretty thin, it’s been fairly warm. The ball is traveling pretty quickly, so the conditions here are pretty quick.”
When facing a hard-hitting team like Oregon, the Sun Devils plan to vary shot selection and keep the ball out of the Ducks’ strike zone.
“You make a few adjustments, you know they’re going to be big-hitting like in their strike zone, so maybe you throw in some more slices and mix it up a little bit more,” senior Jacqueline Cako said. “In the end, you have to go out there and play your game.”
The Sun Devils know Oregon’s roster very well, especially senior Cako. Oregon returns five of six starting players from last years match.
That experience could prove valuable for freshman Stephanie Vlad. Vlad has been very consistent for ASU lately, having won nine straight matches out of the No. 4 spot.
Vlad tends to play with an aggressive style that will be well suited for playing indoors.
McInerney and assistant coach Clint Letcher have been working with Vlad to add some more elements to her game.
“They’ve been trying to get me to spread the court more and use my backhand down the line as a weapon an coming in and putting some volleys away when I have the opportunity,” Vlad added. “They’re trying to get me more aggressive and make the points easier for me.”
In doubles, the Sun Devils will likely continue their dominance.
The Ducks have dropped the doubles point in their last two matches, and all of ASU’s pairings are nationally ranked.
Cako and senior Nicole Smith are ranked No 31. Sophomore Leighann Sahagun and freshman Desirae Krawczyk are at No. 65. Sophomore Joanna Smitha and freshman Ebony Panoho are No.74.
Live scoring of the match is available here.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu
