Women's tennis to battle Texas Longhorns
The 19th ranked Sun Devil Women's Tennis team will travel to the Lone Star state to lock horns with No. 28 Texas. Action begins at 11a.m. CT in Austin at Texas' Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
The Devils will be looking to wrangle a W out of the Longhorns and improve their away record, currently 1-1, after falling to Georgia Tech 4-2 in their previous road match. After a weekend of rest the team will arrive in Texas refreshed and confident after shutting out their last opponent, Cal State Northridge 7-0.
About the Teams
Although the Devils were ultimately toppled by the Yellow Jackets, No. 3 Kelcy McKenna proved they are a forced to be reckoned with, blasting reigning NCAA Champion No. 11 Amanda McDowell on her home turf in Atlanta. The ninth-ranked pair of Kelcy McKenna and Micaela Hein have a yet to lose a match this season and will be looking to add another win to their flawless 5-0 record.
The Longhorns will be thirsty for a win after falling to the No. 1 Northwestern Wildcats 6-1 in Evanston on Feb. 8. Currently 2-3 on the season, the Texas team will undoubtedly look to it's 11th-ranked doubles team Marija Milic and Vanja Corovic to tear up the court against the Devils.
Up Next
The Devils travel to Eugene, Ore. to square off against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, February 28, 2009.
Legends of the Fall
The Fall 2008 season saw ASU dominating competition at the Cal Nike Invitational, where sophomore Kelcy McKenna took home the ITA Singles Gold crown as well as the ITA Doubles Gold title with teammate Micaela Hein. ASU also collected its third ITA All-American in two years with McKenna.
Double Duty
The 2009 season will see exciting doubles action from Arizona State, with the return of partners Micaela Hein and Kelcy McKenna, who finished with an impressive 17-4 overall record in 2008. Senior Laila Abdala will also pair up for a final season with her sister, junior Nadia Abdala. The sisters will be in quest of success after posting 10 wins last season.
To Be the Best...
The Sun Devils have traditionally played one of the most rigorous schedules in the nation and this season will be no different. The team will be tested with a mixture of strong non-conference play and strenuous Pac-10 matchups, including back-to-back matchups with No. 10 USC and No. 3 UCLA.
Where They Stack Up
Last year, the Sun Devils finished the season ranked at No. 23 posting a 15-8 overall record, a fourth place conference finish and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Arizona State is currently ranked 19th with four returning letter winners and powerhouse Kelcy McKenna, currently No. 3 in the nation.
At The Helm
Coach Sheila McInerney enters her 25th season at the helm of the Sun Devil program. In 2008, she led the team to a university record 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance following a winning 15-8 season. Those wins saw ASU upset NCAA Champion UCLA, as well as conquer Stanford for the first time in program history.