Women’s Tennis opens NCAA Tournament against Ole Miss

TEMPE  – In the first round of the NCAA Tournament Sun Devil Women's Tennis (14-9) will face Ole Miss (15-12) beginning Friday at 7 a.m. AZT/10 a.m. EST, playing in the Ann Arbor regional hosted by No. 3 Michigan. Coverage can be watched on Playsight or the Cracked Rackets YouTube page with live stats being available on Michigan's website. 

On Monday, Arizona State was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 37th straight year and the 39th time in program history. First-year head coach Jamea Jackson led a young squad to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament and continued the tradition for the Sun Devils by earning an at-large bid into the round of 64. 

Coach Jackson is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. In her two seasons at Princeton, she led the Tigers to back-to-back second-round appearances with victories over Washington and Fordham.  The Sun Devils have made the second round in four of their last five NCAA tournament appearances.

If the Sun Devils emerge victorious in the first round, they'll face No. 3 Michigan or Youngstown State in the second round on Saturday at 10 a.m. AZT/1 p.m. EST.

Sun Devil Outlook:
No. 35 Arizona State (14-9)

• The Sun Devils made their 37th straight NCAA Tournament Appearance, the 39th overall as a program since their first in 1985.
• It's Jamea Jackson's third NCAA Tournament appearance as head coach, her first at the helm of Sun Devil Women's Tennis.
• Friday's matchup against Ole Miss marks the fifth all-time matchup against the Rebels. The first since the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a 4-3 victory.
  • Friday will mark the fourth time the Sun Devils have faced Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament. ASU is 2-1 in such matchups.
• Senior Patricija Spaka has 63 singles wins in her career which is tied for 33rd in program history. She's one of 38 Sun Devils to reach 60+ career wins.
• Sophomore Sara Svetac led the team with 12 singles wins, including ending the regular season on a 7-match winning streak in Big 12 play.
  • The Sun Devils are 11-2 this season when Svetac wins in doubles play.
• Spaka and Lily Taylor have been the top doubles duo this spring with a 10-3 record from the No. 1 spot.

Opponent Outlook
No. 31 Ole Miss (15-12)

• The fifth all-time matchup between the Sun Devils. The Rebels went 15-12 in the spring and went 6-9 in SEC play.
• Emily Welker is ranked No. 83 in the ITA rankings and has played from the No. 1 spot majority of the spring.
• Lucie Petruzelova leads the team with 19 singles wins during the fall and is one of three Rebels to have double-digit wins this dual season with an 11-8 record.
• In doubles Ludmila Kareisova/Anaelle Leclercq are ranked No. 24 in the country and have a 13-9 dual record, while going 20-13 for the year.
• Defeated No. 13 Texas with a 4-2 victory on March 23rd.

No. 3 Michigan (23-4)

• Ranked No. 3 in the ITA Rankings and the Big Ten regular season champions. The Wolverines finished 13-0 in conference play, including an 11-0 home record.
• Julia Fliegner ranked No. 6 in the country boasts a 13-2 dual record with a 29-6 overall record this season.
  • From the No. 2 spot Piper Charney is 17-3 and is ranked No. 21 in the country according to the ITA.
• The Wolverines boast four players inside the top 100 in singles play.
• Jessica Barnales and Lily Jones are the top doubles pair with an 18-4 record and an 8-1 dual record. They're currently ranked No. 18 in the country.
• Assuming ASU and Michigan both win, it would be the first matchup against both schools in series history.

Youngstown State (14-7)

• The Penguins have made their eighth NCAA Regionals appearance since 2014 and the third time they'll face the Wolverines since 2017 in postseason play.
• Winners of the Horizon League tournament, the Guins have won seven straight matches and defeated the top-seeded Cleveland State 4-1, earning the auto-bid.
• Julia Marko leads the team with a 15-5 dual record with all her matches coming from the top spot in the spring.
• Ghada Dirninger/Julia Marko are the top doubles pair with a 12-6 dual record during the season.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Sun Devils were victorious against Colorado in it's second-round matchup in the Big 12 Tournament, winning 4-1 where Spaka clinched the victory, sending them to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal, Karsyn Evans earned a point for the Sun Devils on a medical forfeit. However, Oklahoma State won 4-1 to advance to the semifinals.

IN THE RANKINGS:
Sara Svetac and Emilija Tverijonaite are both ranked in the latest ITA rankings before the start of the NCAA Tournament. Svetac resides at No. 69 in the country and Tverijonaite is ranked No. 85 in singles play. Spaka and Taylor are the top doubles pair with a 10-3 record at No. 78 in the rankings.

BIG 12 HONORS:
On Wednesday the Big 12 Conference announced the end of season awards featuring Svetac, Tverijonaite, Spaka and Taylor earning All-Big 12 nods throughout the season. Svetac and Tverijonaite were named to the All-Big 12 first team in singles, Spaka and Taylor were named on the All-Big 12 second-team in doubles and Taylor was also named on the All-Big 12 freshman team. The Sun Devils were one of three teams in the conference to have two players on the first team in singles.

SUPER SOPHOMORES
Sara Svetac and Emilija Tverijonaite made big steps in their second year, donning the maroon and gold by setting career highs for singles wins in their sophomore seasons. Tverijonaite has 23 wins this season, which is tied for the 10th most in program history for most singles wins in a year. From Lithuania, she qualified for the NCAA singles tournament in November and has reached 20+ wins in her first two seasons in Tempe.

Svetac set a career best 20 wins in singles play, including going 7-1 in Big 12 play against the top competition across the conference. She had a seven-match winning streak to cap off the regular season with a 7-4 record from the #1 spot in the spring. The Crotian also garnered a Big 12 Women's Player of the Week honor after clinching the upset victory over No. 15 Pepperdine.

FALL FLASHBACK
The NCAA Singles and Doubles championships took place this past fall, featuring sophomore Emilija Tverijonaite who became the first Sun Devil to compete in the NCAA Singles tournament since Ilze Hattingh in 2021. Tverijonaite went 12-2 during the fall and a third place finish in the ITA Southwest Regional to qualify.

SPARKY MILESTONES:
The senior is currently 11-4 in singles after playing from the #3 spot this season. Additionally, she won ten of her first 11 matches in doubles and racked up a 10-3 record in doubles alongside partner Lily Taylor throughout the spring.

From Latvia, Spaka has 133 wins as a Sun Devil between singles and doubles matches combined in her four years. Her 60 wins in singles play make her the 38th Sun Devil to reach 60+ career singles wins.

YOUTH MOVEMENT:
Jamea Jackson welcomed three freshmen on the team in her first season as head coach and throughout the year they have flourished in the lineup for ASU. Lily Taylor went 7-4 in conference play, Aiya Nupbay entered the #6 spot halfway through the season and started her dual season 4-0. Karin Altori played primarily from the #5 spot and won six times.  

HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue to follow Sun Devil Women's Tennis on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest coverage this season. Fans can follow on live stats which can be found here.