TEMPE, Ariz. – For the second straight year, a Sun Devil student-athlete has captured the title at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. While it was at the cost of a Sun Devil loss, senior Kassidy Jump completed her goal by earning the Kachina Trophy on Sunday morning.
It took three sets and a rally to win the final two, but Jump defeated her doubles teammate Sammi Hampton 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 at Whiteman Tennis Center.
"One of our goals for the weekend was to keep the Kachinas at ASU," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "We did it with both the winner and runner-up. It was great for Kass as a senior in her final year of this tournament, that was certainly her goal for the weekend. It's not always easy winning it when you're expected to win it as the top seed. It's never easy playing your teammate."
In route to winning the title, Jump had to overcome three of her teammates, as she played Kelley Anderson and Gussie O'Sullivan as well.
"I've always had a hard time playing friends," said Jump smiling. "Sammi was difficult because I have to be able to pump myself up, but I don't want to get in their face while doing it. After the first set, I tried to start saying 'c'mon' – even if they weren't very loud – and slap my leg and get into it a little bit more. It helped but it's not fun playing your teammate at all."
On court two, the third-place match-up featured junior Nicole Fossa Huergo and senior Gussie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan could not force at third set on Sunday, as her teammate took the win 6-2, 6-2.
In the consolation rounds, junior Kelley Anderson defeated Galina Bykova of Fresno State 7-5, 6-1, while senior Alex Osborne won her match against Daniela Morales 7-5, 6-3.
"I don't' know what the percentage was for matches we won, but I think it was really high," said McInerney. "I think we only lost one doubles match so that was good. Now we have six weeks off between now and January, which is tricky for the girls and the coaches. The girls feel good about how we ended, but they have to do a lot of work on their own."
Of the 15 doubles matches played over the three days, the Sun Devils won 14 of them with the only loss coming in a point tiebreak on Saturday.
As a pair, Anderson and freshman Savannah Slaysman have yet to lose a match in doubles. The two have started both of their Sun Devil careers with a perfect 9-0 record together.
The women will now have over two months off from competition, as the regular season will start on Friday, Jan. 20 against Northern Arizona.
22nd Annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational
Nov. 4-6, 2016
Whiteman Tennis Center
Day 3 Doubles:
Jump/Hampton (ASU) def. Smith/Nelson (CAL) – 6-4
Fossa Huergo/Osborne (ASU) def. Wilson/Bykova (Fresno) – 6-0
Anderson/Slaysman (ASU) def. Garcia/Morales (USD) – 6-3
Tomasetti/Szavay (NAU) def. Anderson/Torres (USD) – 6-1
Jansen/Lin (CAL) def. Barkdull/Mayer (USD/CAL) – 6-2
Championship Final:
(1) Kassidy Jump (ASU) def. (2) Sammi Hampton (ASU) – 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
3rd Place Game:
(3) Nicole Fossa Huergo (ASU) def. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) – 6-2, 6-2
Consolation Matches:
Kelley Anderson (ASU) def. Galina Bykova (Fresno) – 7-5, 6-1
Maria Smith (CAL) def. Savannah Slaysman (ASU) – 6-1, 6-4
Gemma Garcia (USD) def. Emma Wilson (Fresno) – 6-4, 6-1
Alexandra Osborne (ASU) def. Daniela Morales (USD) – 7-5, 6-3
Maria Paula Torres (USD) def. Audrey Mayer (CAL) – 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Chiara Tomasetti (NAU) def. Alexis Nelson (CAL) – 6-0, 6-3
Blanka Szavay (NAU) def. (4) Maya Jansen (CAL) – 6-7(6), 6-4, [10-5]
It took three sets and a rally to win the final two, but Jump defeated her doubles teammate Sammi Hampton 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 at Whiteman Tennis Center.
"One of our goals for the weekend was to keep the Kachinas at ASU," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "We did it with both the winner and runner-up. It was great for Kass as a senior in her final year of this tournament, that was certainly her goal for the weekend. It's not always easy winning it when you're expected to win it as the top seed. It's never easy playing your teammate."
In route to winning the title, Jump had to overcome three of her teammates, as she played Kelley Anderson and Gussie O'Sullivan as well.
"I've always had a hard time playing friends," said Jump smiling. "Sammi was difficult because I have to be able to pump myself up, but I don't want to get in their face while doing it. After the first set, I tried to start saying 'c'mon' – even if they weren't very loud – and slap my leg and get into it a little bit more. It helped but it's not fun playing your teammate at all."
On court two, the third-place match-up featured junior Nicole Fossa Huergo and senior Gussie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan could not force at third set on Sunday, as her teammate took the win 6-2, 6-2.
In the consolation rounds, junior Kelley Anderson defeated Galina Bykova of Fresno State 7-5, 6-1, while senior Alex Osborne won her match against Daniela Morales 7-5, 6-3.
"I don't' know what the percentage was for matches we won, but I think it was really high," said McInerney. "I think we only lost one doubles match so that was good. Now we have six weeks off between now and January, which is tricky for the girls and the coaches. The girls feel good about how we ended, but they have to do a lot of work on their own."
Of the 15 doubles matches played over the three days, the Sun Devils won 14 of them with the only loss coming in a point tiebreak on Saturday.
As a pair, Anderson and freshman Savannah Slaysman have yet to lose a match in doubles. The two have started both of their Sun Devil careers with a perfect 9-0 record together.
The women will now have over two months off from competition, as the regular season will start on Friday, Jan. 20 against Northern Arizona.
22nd Annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational
Nov. 4-6, 2016
Whiteman Tennis Center
Day 3 Doubles:
Jump/Hampton (ASU) def. Smith/Nelson (CAL) – 6-4
Fossa Huergo/Osborne (ASU) def. Wilson/Bykova (Fresno) – 6-0
Anderson/Slaysman (ASU) def. Garcia/Morales (USD) – 6-3
Tomasetti/Szavay (NAU) def. Anderson/Torres (USD) – 6-1
Jansen/Lin (CAL) def. Barkdull/Mayer (USD/CAL) – 6-2
Championship Final:
(1) Kassidy Jump (ASU) def. (2) Sammi Hampton (ASU) – 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
3rd Place Game:
(3) Nicole Fossa Huergo (ASU) def. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) – 6-2, 6-2
Consolation Matches:
Kelley Anderson (ASU) def. Galina Bykova (Fresno) – 7-5, 6-1
Maria Smith (CAL) def. Savannah Slaysman (ASU) – 6-1, 6-4
Gemma Garcia (USD) def. Emma Wilson (Fresno) – 6-4, 6-1
Alexandra Osborne (ASU) def. Daniela Morales (USD) – 7-5, 6-3
Maria Paula Torres (USD) def. Audrey Mayer (CAL) – 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Chiara Tomasetti (NAU) def. Alexis Nelson (CAL) – 6-0, 6-3
Blanka Szavay (NAU) def. (4) Maya Jansen (CAL) – 6-7(6), 6-4, [10-5]