(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
Several injuries to key players were not enough to stop the Sun Devils from prevailing in its decisive 4-0 win over Cal Poly in the latter game of Saturday’s gruelling women’s tennis doubleheader.
The Sun Devils narrowly fell 4-3 to Texas Tech in the first game and had 90 minutes to reset before its clash with the Lady Mustangs (7-1).
“Normally we wouldn’t do a back-to-back this late in the season,” ASU head coach Sheila McInerney said. “So, credit to our kids after a tough loss this morning to come back and rebound with a good win this afternoon.”
The Sun Devils had to do it with niggles agitating several players and without usual starter Cali Jankowski who is in a boot with a foot injury.
Despite feeling nervous to play two singles and two doubles matches, Ilze Hattingh managed to win all four.
“It really comes down to being mentally tough and pushing through every time and not thinking ahead and just thinking about what you have to sort out now,” Hattingh said.
The senior and her doubles partner Tereza Kolarova proved their toughness when they came back from 4-0 down against Emily Monaghan and Emily Ackerman from Cal Poly.
“We knew we were the better team, but for some reason when we came out, we were making so many mistakes,” Hattingh said.
The pair won the next three games straight to get back on serve and make it 4-3 before the Mustangs broke back to extend the lead once again.
The duo refused to back down, breaking back instantly with Hattingh attacking the second serve of Cal Poly to force a shallow return, enabling Kolarova to swiftly attack with an overhead forehand.
This wasn’t the only time Hattingh pounced on the back of a second serve with the next time seeing ASU take a 6-5 lead– its first of the game. Hattingh rounded out the match with a big service game.
“We just had to do the basics well and come to the net and put pressure on them,” Hattingh said. “That’s all we focussed on.”
Hattingh’s 6-1, 6-3 singles win over Cal Poly’s Susanne Boyden didn’t come without its trepidation.
Hattingh was up 5-2 with three match points, she hit the first long, the second into the net and the third was a double-fault while the deuce saw another mishit from Hattingh.
“From my previous match, I think I probably had five match points and five deuce points, so that crept back into my mind,” Hattingh said. “The mind is so strong, it can control your whole body, so I got really tight and I stopped going for it.”
“If anyone could handle a double header it would be Ilze,” McInerney said. “She’s a good trooper, she’s always going to compete really hard.”
After falling and grabbing at her ankle in pain at 3-3 in the third set against Texas Tech’s Margarita Skriabina, Sammi Hampton left the injury in her wake against Cal Poly.
“At the beginning I didn’t think I would be able to walk, but then it slowly got better,” Hampton said. “Going straight is fine but side-to-side was a little bit rough.”
Despite Savannah Slaysman being Hampton’s fourth doubles pairing of the year, the duo won on court two in emphatic fashion. They took the first four games before winning 6-2, sealing the doubles point for ASU.
“Savannah really helped me because she was like it’s okay you don’t need to feel pressure just stay where you are and I’ll do whatever’s needed,” Hampton said.
Hampton took the momentum from the doubles win into singles play by getting out to a 5-4 lead early and giving her a chance to serve out the first set against Monaghan. Hampton was unable to convert but didn’t let history repeat itself when the opportunity arose a game later to take the set 7-5.
“It’s hard if you get up and then it goes away from you,” Hampton said. “If I’m up and I have it and they come back, I just try to erase it.”
Despite letting a match point slip away at 40-30 with an attacking forehand that went way long, the deuce saw a forehand error from the other side of the net with Monaghan pummeling hers into the net, handing Hampton a commanding 6-0 victory in the second and ultimately the match.
“We contemplated not playing her,” McInerney said. “But she did a really good job of winning that first set and then getting off the court quickly, which is really important for us.”
Slaysman secured ASU’s fourth and final point in her clash with Kim Bhunu with yet again a bit of hesitation closing it out.
It took Slaysman three match points to eventually take the match 7-5, 6-2 after a shot from Bhunu sailed over the baseline.
“It’s all about the team for her,” McInerney said. “Once she got ahead, she just kept that foot on the gas pedal and secured a big win for us.”
Kolarova looked set to fall to CPW when ASU wrapped up the victory while Sasa Klanecek had won the first set and was up in the second.
Lauryn John-Baptiste was the only other remaining Sun Devil. She lost the first set before taking the second and forcing the match into a third despite still struggling to find full strength after returning from a wrist injury in early February.
“I think her wrist is really good,” McInerney said. “But I think now it’s almost a dead arm because she’s starting to play a lot and not getting the pace on the ball that she normally does. But hopefully as the season continues that will get better.”
The win against Cal Poly snapped a two-game losing streak for the Devils, accumulating to a 10-5 record before Pac-12 conference play gets underway against Oregon on Friday, March 6 in Eugene.
