Sun Devil Women's Tennis Kicks Off 2022 With Northern Arizona
TEMPE, Ariz. – At long last, the 2022 Women's Tennis season is here and the Sun Devils are ready to compete once more. They'll lift the lid on the regular season with a home tilt against Northern Arizona slated for January 17 at 12 p.m at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
Fans can tune in to the action via the Pac-12 Live Stream here.
The Sun Devils were originally supposed to open the regular season with a home doubleheader against UC Davis and Grand Canyon on January 15. The match against the Aggies was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UC Davis program and will not be attempted to be rescheduled this season. The match against Grand Canyon was postponed to a later date in the 2022 season. The postponement was not due to COVID-19 protocols within either program.
A year after graduating five seniors and three of the team's top singles players, the 2022 Sun Devils are young, hungry and teeming with depth. Sedona Gallagher, who transferred from Washington over the off-season, and highly-decorated freshman Patricija Spaka are the team's only newcomers. Both are expected to play a big role this spring.
Here's a look at the Sun Devils' first opponent of the spring season.
PREVIEWING THE LUMBERJACKS
-Since 2008, the Sun Devils are 14-0 against the in-state Lumberjacks
-The Lumberjacks are fresh off a year in which they went 14-5 and were champions of the Big Sky Conference. They also qualified for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
-Led by fourth-year head coach Ewa Bogusz, the Lumberjacks have a 34-17 record since becoming head coach prior to the 2018-19 regular season.
-Bogusz has twice been named the Big Sky Coach of the Year and has won the conference tournament twice since 2019.
-Similar to the Sun Devils, the Lumberjacks have a young roster, as five of their eight players are underclassmen. Bogusz returns five from last year's championship roster.
-The Lumberjacks also returned last year's No. 1 singles player Gina Dittman, who as a freshman was named the Big Sky Conference MVP and Freshman of the Year. Dittman went 14-1 on court No. 1.
-Mimi Bland and Ellie Millard, last year's top doubles team, also returned to the Lumberjacks this spring.
-The Lumberjacks have totaled 14 wins or more in every year since the 2014-15 season.
RECENT HISTORY VS. THE LUMBERJACKS
January 31, 2021: Arizona State 7, Northern Arizona 0
January 19, 2020: Arizona State 5, Northern Arizona 2
January 21, 2019: Arizona State 5, Northern Arizona 0
January 20, 2018: Arizona State 7, Northern Arizona 0
March 24, 2017: Arizona State 6, Northern Arizona 1
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils are back at home this weekend for a Saturday doubleheader against Colorado State and New Mexico State on January 22. They'll draw the Rams at 9:30 a.m. and the Aggies at 3 p.m.