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ASU tennis to face Arizona in Pac-12 finale

Senior Desirae Krawczyk will face a friendly foe this weekend in the latest edition of the Territorial Cup.

Kassidy Jump serves the  ball during a doubles match-up against the California Bears on Friday,  March 4, 2016, at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, AZ.

Kassidy Jump serves the ball during a doubles match-up against the California Bears on Friday, March 4, 2016, at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, AZ.


After splitting a tough road trip in Los Angeles over the weekend, ASU tennis will stay a little bit closer to home Saturday when they wrap up their regular season schedule.

The No. 22 Sun Devils will head south this weekend to take on in-state rival Arizona for the latest addition of the Territorial Cup. Although the two teams have split their last four matchups with each other at two apiece, they seem to be going in opposite directions this season. ASU holds a 16-5 record on the year, while the Wildcats sit at 12-10 overall with just one win in Pac-12 play. 

"Last match of the season against your rival, you kind of have to throw the records out the window," head coach Sheila McInerney said. "We want to go down there, play well and get the win, simple as that."

High school reunion

The match will mark somewhat of a reunion for senior Desirae Krawczyk, who gets set for the final regular season match of her career. Krawczyk will face off against former teammate at Palm Desert High School Lauren Maker, Arizona's top player. The two have played each other twice before in the college ranks, with Krawczyk taking both matches in straight sets. She said they have stayed close, even though they play at competing schools.

"We may go to rivalry schools, but we're still good friends and we stay in touch," said Krawczyk. "I mean she lived right across the street from me, we played on the same team for three years, so we're pretty close."

Jump looks to rebound

ASU saw its season-high 10 game winning streak come to end last weekend in a loss to No. 23 USC, but junior Kassidy Jump will look to end a not-so-good season-high of her own Saturday. Jump has dropped four straight matches on court number two since a win over Montana on March 28.

"I had a couple really tough matches there in a row that I was up in and ended up losing; I think that really shot my confidence," Jump said. "Just getting that confidence back is the biggest thing."

Although Jump lost both matches over the weekend, McInerney said her play was a step in the right direction.

"Let me tell you something, that match Kass played against UCLA, that was some really good tennis," she said. "So I think she can take something from that going forward. We felt really good about how she played.

No tournament in Tempe

With the loss at USC Sunday, the Sun Devils all but eliminated any shot of hosting an NCAA regional match at the Whiteman Tennis Center. Per NCAA regulations, the top 16 teams nationally host a regional match in the tournament.

ASU is currently ranked 22nd in the latest ITA polls. A win over unranked Arizona would likely not be enough to push the Sun Devils into the top 16. ASU hasn't hosted an NCAA tournament match since 1981.

Related links:

ASU tennis defeats UCLA for first time since 2000

Intercollegiate Tennis Association moving headquarters to Tempe


Reach the reporter at mfaye@asu.edu or follow @mattGfaye on Twitter.

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