Women's tennis face Ducks in Oregon
The 19th ranked Sun Devil Women's Tennis team travels to Eugene this weekend to take on the No. 45 Oregon Ducks. Action begins at 12 p.m. PT at Oregon's Student Tennis Center.
Coming off a successful match last Saturday that saw the Devils breeze past Texas 4-3 in Austin, the team will be ready for competition and looking to add to their already impressive 5-1 dual season record.
About the Teams
The Sun Devils have seen an impressive start to their dual season, with a 5-1 overall record and 2-1 away. Ninth-ranked duo Kelcy McKenna and Micaela Hein have proved unstoppable, having yet to lose a match this season. Junior Nadia Abdala was named Pac-10 Women's Tennis Player of the Week for Feb. 16 - 22, after an impressive showing in Texas saw her storm pass the Longhorns in both singles and doubles play, along with sister Laila Abdala.
The Ducks will be fighting to defend their home court this weekend after a tough loss to Ohio State 2-5 in Eugene. They will be led by senior Carmen Serementa, who holds a 5-4 dual season record. The Oregon team is 6-3 overall this season.
Duck Hunting
In their last meeting on March 14, 2008 the Devils shot down the Ducks 7-0. The perfect showing was led by Laila Abdala who defeated Stephanie Macfarlane 6-1, 6-3. The Devils will be looking to repeat this perfect showing on Saturday.
From Devil to Duck
Oregon Head Coach Paul Reber was a four-year letter winner at ASU with the Men's Tennis team, from 1992-96 and served as an Assistant Coach for the Women's Tennis team for 10 years before moving to Eugene in 2006.
Up Next
The Devils will return to Tempe on Friday, March 6 to face off against Washington at 1:30 p.m. MT and then return on action on Saturday, March 7 to take on the Cougars of Washington State at 12:00 p.m. MT. Both games will take place at ASU's Whiteman Tennis Center.
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 has seen 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. They are currently undefeated, holding at 6-0 record on the season. 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.