(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE – In mid-April, ASU women’s tennis’ nine-match winning streak was halted when it went down 4-3 to No. 10 Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament without junior Emilija Tverijonaite, who was out with a back issue. But with their best player back on the court, the No. 16 Sun Devils’ (20-5, 11-2 Big 12) energy reflected their confidence as they took down Denver (16-8, 6-0 Summit League) 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Support was also rampant for the hosting Sun Devils. Football head coach Kenny Dillingham, women’s basketball head coach Molly Miller and volleyball head coach JJ Van Niel were all in attendance along with members of the soccer team who orchestrated cheers of “Aiya’s on Fire!” during sophomore Aiya Nupbay’s singles performance on court five.
Despite a marathon outing between No. 18 UCLA and San Diego State that pushed the start of ASU’s match back an hour, the Sun Devils burst out to quick start in the doubles.
The doubles point hasn’t always gone ASU’s way, but graduate student Vivian Ovrootsky and sophomore Lily Taylor were sharp on return, upping the aggression on weaker second serves and forcing constant errors.
The duo quickly went up two breaks, and although Denver produced opportunities, they weren’t able to take advantage of them. At deuce on 5-1, Taylor belted a forehand return that Denver blocked long, sealing ASU’s first point.
On court three, the freshman duo of Zlata Bartanusz and Sarang Lim were powering through their own matchup. Bartanusz’s spinny lefty forehand induced error after error, and Lim’s movement from the back of the court pushed rallies longer and longer.
An early break gave the pair a 3-1 lead that they only built off of, and Lim held to love to clinch the match, and the doubles point, 6-3 before singles play began.
The Sun Devils’ mainstay at singles No. 1, Tverijonaite’s return not only solidified their top spot but allowed the rest of the team to move down a position, even though she didn’t take her usual spot at doubles No. 2.
“We have a deep lineup, and when everyone who has been playing a little bit higher gets to move down and just doesn’t have to have that much pressure or attention on them, that could be the difference in a match,” ASU head coach Jamea Jackson said.
If there were any concerns that Tverijonaite would show signs of rust after going over three weeks without playing a match, the junior put them to rest within the first 10 minutes of her match. Denver’s Louise Wikander was unfortunately on the receiving end of Tverijonaite’s wrath, winning a lone game across two sets.
“I had to ask her why she gave her opponent so many games,” Jackson said jokingly.
Tverijonaite’s pace and spin appeared to slow down a notch at the start, but there was no stopping the No. 44 player in the country once she found her rhythm. The Lithuanian native hammered forehand winners at will off Wikander’s second serves, as if she were employing AimBot’s services, en route to sprinting out to a double-break lead.
Tverijonaite closed out the opener smoothly, tracking down a drop shot attempt and putting away a forehand volley crosscourt to take the first set 6-0. After a rare lapse in concentration saw ASU’s best player get broken to start the first, Tverijonaite entered flow state once again.
Balls zipped across the court off the junior’s racket, dragging Wikander all around the court in a futile effort to keep up with Tverijonaite’s pace. A Wikander double-fault gave Tverijonaite a 5-1 lead that she aptly cemented in her next service game with a blistering forehand down the line for ASU’s second singles point, 6-0, 6-1.
Now up to 31 wins on the season, Tverijonaite is tied for the third-most wins in a single year in program history.
Tverijonaite came close to a double-bagel, a mark of extreme dominance at any level, but Lim bettered her on court six. Hailed by Jackson as ASU’s “MVP”, Lim was able to produce an afternoon of brilliance on court six with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout.
“First rounds are not easy,” Jackson said. “Everyone is nervous. We were nervous. They were nervous, and (Lim had) ice in her veins from the first point to the last point, just a killer. I really think it was the mentality that made the difference out there for her. She’s 17, came from South Korea across the ocean. I’m so impressed.”
A court over, Nupbay was putting the final proceedings on the Sun Devils’ first regional win. Despite a nervous beginning, Nupbay picked up the pace to seal the first set 6-3, and marched out to a quick 4-1 lead in the second.
At 40-30 on her own serve, Nupbay produced a spinning crosscourt forehand that jutted off the court to pull ahead 5-1. The Kazakhstan native pummeled a pair of forehands to get to deuce point on Denver’s serve and clinched the match, 6-1, 6-1, with another massive crosscourt forehand that her opponent could only watch whiz by her.
No. 18 UCLA waits for ASU in a marquee matchup on Saturday at 12 p.m. MST featuring former Pac-10 rivals, and the Sun Devils’ focus is already on the future.
“I don’t know if I’m gonna sleep tonight,” Jackson said. “I need to, but I don’t know if I will.”
