Arizona State University Team Page
The No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils women's tennis team defeated No. 44 Saint Mary's 7-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, Ariz. The 7 match sweep, which is the second of the weekend for ASU, saw wins for every single Sun Devil including a 3-0 decision for the doubles matches.
"I thought we played very well, I mean Saint Mary's is a very good team. Some of those matches were a lot closer than what the 7-0 score seems like," ASU head coach Sheila McInerney said.
One of the most notable matches took place in front of the grandstand in Tempe between 88th-ranked Jacqueline Cako and Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's -- Jullien is ranked 18th in the country overall.
"It's a pretty good feeling to come back after not playing a good second set," senior Sun Devil Jacqueline Cako said. Cako opened the day strong winning doubles with her partner Nicole Smith 8-2, and then built upon that win with a 6-4 opening set in her singles match.
But, for some reason, partially un-known to Cako herself, the Sun Devil dropped her second set 1-6 forcing play of the tie break third set -- a set she then dominated, blanking Jullien 6-0. "It kind of just dissapeared but to come back and wipe the court in the third set and play so well, it's just always a great feeling," senior Sun Devil Jacqueline Cako said.
Sophomore Leighann Sahagun also earned a notable victory on the No.3 court, defeating Danielle Flores in two sets 6-2, 6-1. This was Sahagun's second match on a lower court this season -- the sophomore started the season off filling the second spot on the lineup, but the ASU coaching staff made the decision to swap her and freshman Desirae Krawczyk.
"I saw it coming just because I was losing confidence, I lost the match against Pepperdine so I feel like it was a smart move for them to do that however," Leighann Sahagun said.
The move turned out to be a good one; Sagaun has beaten two opponents now since the move including Flores who is ranked in the top 125 players in the country.
"I felt more composed, more confident -- I started to end practices a lot better than how they were closer to the start of the season," Sahagun said. As soon as I got one good shot off my racket it just clicked from there and I thought alright I'm good."
Adding on to the successes, freshmen Desirae Krawczyk and Stephanie Vlad completed their matches each in just two sets and both Hannah James and Joanna Smith held their own winning on the No. 5 and 6 courts respectively.
The Sun Devils will take one day off for rest before facing Memphis on Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe. Memphis will also face Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon prior to the ASU matchup.
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#21 Arizona State 7 :: #44 Saint Mary's 0
Whiteman Tennis Center
Tempe, Arizona
3/2/13
12 p.m. MST
DOUBLES
1. Nicole Smith/Jacqueline Cako (ASU) def. Jenny Julilen/Danielle Flores (SMC) 8-2
2. Joanna Smith/Ebony Panoho (ASU) def. Catherine Isip/Elizabeth Searl (SMC) 8-5
3. Leighann Sahagun/Desirae Krawczyk (ASU) def. Audrey Leitz/Jade Frampton (SMC) 8-5
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES
1. Jacqueline Cako (ASU) def. Jenny Jullien (SMC) 6-4, 1-6, 6-0
2. Desirae Krawczyk (ASU) def. Catherine Isip (SMC) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
3. Leighann Sahagun (ASU) def. Danielle Flores (SMC) 6-2, 6-1
4. Stephanie Vlad (ASU) def. Jade Frampton (SMC) 6-4, 7-5
5. Hannah James (ASU) def. Catherine Leduc (SMC) 6-2, 0-6, 6-3
6. Joanna Smith (ASU) def. Elizabeth Searl (SMC) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 1, 4, 2, 5
