No. 3/22 Sun Devils Fall to No. 6/28 Trojans in Opener of Pac-12 Championships

OJAI, Calif. – It’s an early exit for the No. 3/22 Sun Devils at the Pac-12 Championships, as they were bested by No. 6/28 USC, 4-1, in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at the Weil Tennis Academy.

It snapped a five-match win streak to close out the regular season and also halted the team’s two-match win streak against the Trojans.

The Sun Devils had advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Championships all but once since the tournament’s inception in 2017.

Less than three weeks removed from a 4-1 defeat over USC in Tempe, the Sun Devils stumbled out of the gate on Thursday in Ojai. They dropped the doubles point, unable to build on an emphatic 6-0 win by No. 24 Domenika Turkovic/Patricija Spaka on Court 1.

The Trojans rallied on Courts 2 and 3 to jump out to an early 1-0 edge. It was just the third loss of the spring for the Gallagher/Morlet tandem on Court 2, who entered play tonight boasting a team-best 13-2 mark.

DOUBLES

1. #24 Domenika Turkovic/Patricija Spaka (ASU) def. Maddy Sieg/Grace Piper (USC), 6-0
2. #42 Snow Han/Naomi Cheong (USC) def. Giulia Morlet/Sedona Gallagher (ASU), 6-4
3. Emma Charney/Nathalie Rodilosso (USC) def. Marianna Argyrokastriti/Chelsea Fontenel (ASU), 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3

Needing to steal four of six singles matches, the Trojans quickly built a commanding 3-0 lead, courtesy of wins on Courts 1 and 5. Freshman Chelsea Fontenel provided some punch on Court 2, topping Snow Han in straight sets to get the Sun Devils on the board.

But Sloane Morra and the Trojans clinched it moments later with a win on Court 6. It’s the Sun Devils’ first loss since an April 1 setback at No. 15 Stanford, 4-3.

SINGLES

1. #11 Maddy Sieg (USC) def. #122 Giulia Morlet (ASU), 6-3, 6-2
2. #104 Chelsea Fontenel (ASU) def. Snow Han (USC), 6-4, 7-5
3. Domenika Turkovic (ASU) vs. Emma Charney (USC), 7-5, 3-2 (unfinished)
4. McKenna Koenig (USC) def. Marianna Argyrokastriti (ASU), 6-1, 6-4
5. Sedona Gallagher (ASU) vs. Grace Piper (USC), 2-6, 6-0, 5-4 (unfinished)
6. Sloane Morra (USC) def. Rachel Hanford (ASU), 6-2, 6-4

Order of finish: 1, 5, 2, 6

UP NEXT

Despite the abrupt exit from Ojai, the Sun Devils will shift their attention to the NCAA Tournament, where they will learn their fate via the selection show on Monday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m. MST.

…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Arizona State University Athletics…