Indoor matches leave ASU with split

 by Tim O'Donnell
 published on Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Lindy Mapes / THE STATE PRESS

FOLLOW THROUGH: ASU sophomore Andres Arango returns a serve during a doubles match against the Oregon on Friday at the Whiteman Tennis Center. Arango teamed with freshman Harry Skinner to win 8-1.

Lindy Mapes / THE STATE PRESS

HIT HOP: ASU sophomore Matt Brooklyn prepares to return a serve during a doubles match on Friday against Oregon. Brooklyn later won his singles match 6-0, 6-2, versus Marcos Verdasco.

The ASU women's tennis team has found that winning on the road in the Pac-10 doesn't come easy.

The Sun Devils, ranked No. 12 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, are 2-3 on the road this year and came out of the weekend in Washington 1-1.

The Sun Devils beat Washington State 5-2 on Friday but were upset by Washington the following day to move to 13-5 on the season.

Both matches were played indoors, which ASU coach Sheila McInerney said affected her squad.

"We're more of an outdoor team," McInerney said. "We had our mind set on playing indoors, and we expected to come away with two wins. It was certainly disappointed."

Still, freshman Kelcy McKenna went undefeated on the road trip, extending her win streak to 15 straight matches.

"We knew she'd be really good, but she's exceeded our expectations," McInerney said. "She has a phenomenal mind set and is very team oriented. She works her fanny off."

The Sun Devils fell behind early against Washington State in doubles but rallied to win five out of the six singles matches.

"We're pretty experienced by now, and we know the doubles point is only one point and you still have to get to four," McInerney said. "We were confident that we were the better team."

Against Washington, ASU managed to get out to the early lead but couldn't follow the doubles point with enough victories in singles.

The Sun Devils only managed to win two of the six singles matches and fell to Washington 4-3.

The teams were tied halfway through the singles competition, but Washington edged out the Sun Devils by winning two of the last three.

Sophmore Nadia Abdala played in the No.1 singles position for the Sun Devils and was involved in one of three, three-set matches of the day. Abdala lost 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (5), in the match that clinched the victory for Washington.

"They played very well, and the final matches couldn't have been closer," McInerney said. "You're going to get that. We've won three that came down to the last match, and this one we lost."

McKenna was also involved in a three-set match, winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.

ASU's remaining three matches are on the road, including this week's trip to Southern California.

The Sun Devils played USC and UCLA at Whiteman Tennis Center earlier in the season and came away with one win and one loss.

ASU was beat by USC but rebounded to upset the then-No. 7 Bruins.

"It's not bad to be on the road," McInerney said. "Adversity helps you for the postseason and in the long run it's good for you. No matter what sport you play you're going to have to deal with some adversity."

Men bounce back

The ASU men's tennis team rebounded from last weekend's losses with a pair of victories this weekend against Oregon and Washington, advancing its record in the process to 13-2.

The Sun Devils have played most of their matches on the road this season but are schedule to close out the regular season with five home events.

ASU enjoyed home-court advantage after playing on the road for nearly a month, shutting out Oregon 7-0 on Friday.

The Sun Devils swept every singles and doubles match to notch their fourth conference win of the season.

Sophomore Matt Brooklyn returned to the No. 1 slot after two matches playing in the No. 2 position and won easily 6-0, 6-2.

The Sun Devils followed up with a 5-2 victory over Washington on Sunday.

Sophomore Andres Arango paired with freshman Harry Skinner for an 8-1 victory in doubles, and Arango won his singles match 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 2 spot.

The Sun Devils started the season 11-0, the program's best start since 1979 but suffered two losses to California and Stanford to close out March.

ASU hosts No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 USC next weekend, in what will be the first meeting between the teams, because the Sun Devils' matches in Los Angeles during February were not completed because of rain.

Reach the reporter at: todonnel@asu.edu.