TEMPE, Ariz. – Another spring season has come and gone for head coach Sheila McInerney and her Sun Devils, who are freshly removed from a 35th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and an impressive 17-win campaign.
A pair of newcomers, including one savvy freshman, and a core of upperclassmen helped the Sun Devils complete an undefeated home slate for the first time in program history, as they won all 15 matches at the Whiteman Tennis Center this spring.
After their 4-0 sweep of No. 48 Arizona in the regular season finale, the Sun Devils moved to 17-5, marking their second straight 17-win campaign and just the 13th time under head coach McInerney they’ve won 17 matches or more in consecutive seasons.
It also pushed them to 7-3 in league play, their best season against conference foes since 2018 (7-3).
For the second consecutive spring, the Sun Devils caught fire when they needed it most, closing out the regular season on a five-match win streak (No. 29 USC, No. 26 UCLA, No. 54 Colorado, No. 48 Utah and No. 48 Arizona).
Home, sweep home ??
We were perfect at home all spring for the first time in program history ?? pic.twitter.com/jKCnuBpIIk
— Arizona State Women’s Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 17, 2023
HOW IT STARTED
The Sun Devils started the spring winning eight of their first nine matches, including a defeat of No. 17 San Diego on February 4. Their first loss came at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Auburn, Alabama, when they fell to No. 23 UCF, 4-2, on January 28.
After a mid-February loss to No. 6 Ohio State, the Sun Devils rattled off three wins in four matches, good for a 10-2 start midway through the regular season.
After consecutive losses against No. 42 California and No. 15 Stanford, the Sun Devils righted the ship by winning five straight to close out the regular season.
POSTSEASON
The Sun Devils put together a convincing case all spring to make yet another NCAA Tournament, thanks to a trio of top-30 wins (No. 17 San Diego, No. 29 USC, No. 26 UCLA) and dominant conference play.
It wasn’t the kind of run they anticipated, as they were bounced in both the opening…
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