One ring for the freshmen and sophomores, three rings for the seniors.
That’s how many times every player on the women’s tennis team got to ring the victory bell after beating UA (9-14, 1-9 Pac-12) on Saturday afternoon.
ASU started off on the right foot when it swept all three matches to claim the doubles point for the first time in five matches.
“I think we really played well in the doubles. I think that was obviously the difference,” head coach Sheila McInerney said.
ASU had only lost the doubles point once all year before its previous four matches. It was the deciding point because the No. 22 Sun Devils (16-5, 6-4 Pac-12) losing at the No. 2, 3 and 4 positions.
However, senior Jacqueline Cako and sophomore Joanna Smith pulled out wins at the No. 1 and No. 6 positions. Appropriately senior Hannah James put the final nail in the coffin with a win at the No. 5 spot to secure the victory for ASU.
“I think we struggled at two three and four, I think that’s really the strength of their team,” McInerney said. “Jacq came through like a stud. Joanna, she’s been playing really well and Hannah, to clinch it again, was a nice thing.”
James has earned a reputation for capturing the winning point. Not only has she done it in close wins over Santa Clara and Colorado but also against Cal and USC earlier in her career.
It only made sense she did it against UA in her final home match at ASU.
“When the stakes are at the highest, Hannah seems to play her best tennis,” McInerney said. “It was nice to have a senior clinch it and two seniors win their singles matches.”
Cako and James won their singles matches. There was one other senior who walked away with a victory, Nicole Smith, who played alongside Cako in doubles.
Smith admitted that after the senior introductions, emotions were running high making it harder for her to focus.
She also had to deal with the most raucous crowd at Whiteman all year.
“That was probably the best crowd we’ve had all year,” Smith said. “You had some good yellers in there. … It was fun; they made it very enjoyable."
Along with the cheers of the crowd something else echoed throughout the complex at the end of the match, the victory bell.
“That was really cool to be able to actually sit there and actually ring the bell. I’ve never gotten to do that,” Cako said.
It sure beats the bell she’s been using.
“We have a little imitation victory bell in our locker room though, a pretend one,” Cako said. “It’s a cowbell and we labeled it ‘ASU Tennis Victory Bell.’”
But nothing beats the real thing for ASU’s seniors.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu or follow him on twitter: @EricSmith_SP
Results
Doubles
1.) Cako/N. Smith def. Lacey Smyth/Shayne Austin: 8-4
2.) Sahagun/Krawczyk def. Kim Stubbe/Akilah James: 8-3
3.) J. Smith/James def. Susan McRann/Laura Oldham: 8-0
Singles
1.) Cako def. Smyth: 6-3, 6-3
2.) Stubbe def. Krawczyk: 6-0, 6-3
3.) Oldham def. Sahagun: 6-3, 6-3
4.) James def. Vlad: 7-5, 6-0
5.) James def. McRann: 6-3, 6-3
6.) J. Smith def. Hendrikx: 6-1, 6-1
