Sophomore Leighann Sahagun braces to return a shot against UCLA on April 6. Sahagun must step up into the No. 2 spot again this weekend against Cal and Stanford. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)There’s never a good time to lose two of your best players, but losing them in the midst of the toughest part of the schedule is rough. With another pair of elite teams on their way to Tempe, the No. 21 ASU tennis team might get at least one of them back.
Freshman Stephanie Vlad said chances are “pretty good” that she could return to the lineup against No. 11 Cal and No. 13 Stanford this weekend.
Vlad will sporting a new accessory, too, a large brace on her right knee.
Although it may look cumbersome, Vlad insists it’s not. In fact, she likes it.
“I feel like I had good tournaments in (the brace) when I was younger. I felt like I moved fine in it ? I don’t feel like it restricts my movement,” she said. “It’s very comforting to have it. It makes my knee feel very stable.”
Having Vlad back is critical to the No. 4 spot.
The Cardinal is strong at the four spot, where it has won over 87 percent of their matches. The Golden Bears have won nearly 80 percent of their matches at No. 4. It’s not certain yet whether Vlad will play or not. A couple of more days of practice will give Vlad some more time to test the knee out.
While ASU coach Sheila McInerney said they hope to have Vlad for Friday’s match against Cal (11-5, 5-1 Pac-12), the decision is ultimately up to her. “It’ll be up to me on how I feel," Vlad said "At the moment, I feel more and more confident every day.”
If Vlad is able to play, ASU (15-3, 5-2 Pac-12) would solidify the middle of its lineup. However, a right foot injury to freshman Desirae Krawczyk makes things interesting at the top. Krawczyk did not practice Monday and was on crutches with her foot in a protective boot. Krawczyk was doing some light hitting on Tuesday, which made McInerney more optimistic about Krawczyk being able to play.
Nonetheless, Krawczyk remains a game-time decision. If she is unable to go against Caland Stanford (14-3, 6-1 Pac-12) it will be up to sophomore Leighann Sahagun to take Krawczyk’s spot at No. 2. Sahagun has struggled of late, winning only one of her last three. She is still ready to play at No. 2.
“After playing UCLA and having a close match where I didn’t really play my best, it really boosted my confidence,” she said.
Sahagun played at No. 2 earlier in the year going 2-2 but admits this stint at the two spot would be vastly different.
“The competition is far superior,” she said. “(Cal) Berkeley, I give them a ton of respect. They’re so competitive, and they all have so much heart when they play. They get so many wins because they keep pushing themselves.”
Sahagun could catch a bit of a break against Cal. The Golden Bear’s second-best player, No. 5 sophomore Zsófia Susányi has only played once for Cal since early February.
Friday's match against Cal starts at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday's tilt with Stanford begins at noon. Both are at Whiteman Tennis Center.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu
