University of Washington
Arizona State
Top-20 Wins For Chan, Dy Over Sun Devils
March 25, 2011 | Women's Tennis
March 25, 2011
SEATTLE - Each facing Top-20 opponents, Husky All-Americans Venise Chan and Denise Dy both picked up two huge victories at the top of Washington's lineup, but 16th-ranked Arizona State would win down the order as the No. 27 Husky women's tennis team fell 5-2 today at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. Chan and Dy both improve to 16-1 in dual singles matches.
In the marquee singles match, fifth-ranked junior Denise Dy put on a clinic against 17th-ranked Kelcy McKenna. In the first set, she broke a 2-2 tie with four straight games to win the set, 6-2. Dy took at 2-0 lead in set two, but McKenna broke back to even it at 2-all. Once again, Dy got rolling and took the final four games again to finish off the match, 6-2. Dy has a remarkable 15 wins over ranked players, and now has five against Top-25 players at the time of the match. Going off the most recent national singles rankings, Dy has defeated eight women in the Top-30.
The Sun Devils posted four more singles wins at the third through six spots, leaving Chan as the final match against 16th-ranked Jacqueline Cako at No. 2 singles. In the first set, Chan fell behind 1-4 before she found her rhythm and fought back to force a tiebreak. She was down two set points in the breaker at 4-6, but saved both, and then pulled away for a 9-7 win. Cako came back to take the second set, 6-3, and with the match already clinched for ASU, the two played a 10-point tiebreak to decide the match. Chan played aggressively in the clutch to win on her second match point, 10-7. That's Chan's ninth ranked win of the year and fourth over a Top-20 player at the time of the match.
But apart from UW's dynamic duo at the top, it was all ASU. Ashlee Brown topped recent walk-on freshman Kelli Feeley, 6-2, 6-0 at sixth singles. 111th-ranked Hannah James outpaced senior Aleksandra Krsljanin, 6-2, 6-2 at the fourth spot. At No. 3 singles, Micaela Hein got the clincher with a 6-3, 6-1 win over junior Samantha Smith, snapping Smith's three-match win streak. Senior Vanja Radunovic had a 5-2 second set lead but couldn't extend her match further, falling 6-3, 7-5 at fifth singles to Michelle Brycki.
Arizona State swept the doubles point to start the day. 10th-ranked Chan and Dy teamed up again at No. 1 doubles for the first time since the UCLA match on March 5, but were a bit rusty as they lost an 8-5 decision to 30th-ranked McKenna and Hein. By that time the Sun Devils had already clinched with an 8-2 win at second doubles, winning the last six games in a row, and an 8-0 win at No. 3.
The Huskies (10-8, 1-4 Pac-10) will be back in action against the Wildcats from Tucson, Arizona this Sunday afternoon at 12 noon.
Washington Women's Tennis
March 25, 2011 - Seattle, Wash.
Nordstrom Tennis Center
No. 16 Arizona State 5, No. 27 Washington 2
Doubles
1) (30) McKenna/Hein (ASU) def. (10) Chan/Dy (UW), 8-5
2) Brycki/Cako (ASU) def. Smith/Krsljanin (UW), 8-2
3) (57) Simmons/Brown (ASU) def. Radunovic/Feeley (UW), 8-0
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1) (5) Denise Dy (UW) def. (17) Kelcy McKenna (ASU), 6-2, 6-2
2) (23) Venise Chan (UW) def. (16) Jacqueline Cako (ASU), 7-6 (7), 3-6, (10-7)
3) Micaela Hein (ASU) def. Samantha Smith (UW), 6-3, 6-1
4) (111) Hannah James (ASU) def. Aleksandra Krsljanin (UW), 6-2, 6-2
5) Michelle Brycki (ASU) def. Vanja Radunovic (UW), 6-3, 7-5
6) Ashlee Brown (ASU) def. Kelli Feeley (UW), 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 4, 3, 5, 2
Players Mentioned
