Wake Forest University
Arizona State
Wake Forest Opens NCAA Tournament Play on Friday Afternoon in First Round Versus Sun Devils
5/4/2023 2:17:00 PM | Women's Tennis
A seventh consecutive tournament appearance for the Demon Deacons gets underway this weekend.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 2023 spring's postseason journey continues for Wake Forest women's tennis this weekend, as the Demon Deacons (17-13) step into the NCAA Tennis Championships, hosted by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The team's first-round matchup is against Arizona State (17-6), scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET tilt on Friday (May 5).
Wake Forest has now earned a place in the tournament for the 22nd time throughout program history, including seven consecutive years up to date.
Friday afternoon involves a second all-time meeting between the Deacs and Sun Devils in the yearly tournament. Wake Forest finished with the upper hand in the first meeting, winning a 4-2 decision in the Round of 64 during the 2018 postseason. The Deacons captured a single-match sweep in their last meeting over Arizona State in January 2019.
The team's trip to Knoxville will be its second time in the area within tournament history, as Wake Forest's first was back during the 2009 spring campaign.
Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) and the host Vols round out the quartet of opponents for the weekend. The winners of the first round will match up in the Round of 32 on Saturday (May 6) at 4 p.m. ET.
The Match
Friday, May 5 – No. 30 Wake Forest vs. No. 23 Arizona State – 1 p.m. ET.
The Event
First and second-round action of the NCAA tennis championships takes place May 5-6 and features four teams playing in a single-elimination format. The winner of each site advances to super-regional competition May 12 or 13. Each super-regional site will feature two teams playing a single-elimination format. The super-regional winners advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the eight teams will compete for the national championship May 17-20. This year's event will be conducted jointly with the NCAA Divisions II and III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships and hosted by the University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
Last Time Out
Wake Forest most recently competed in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tennis Championships a few weeks ago, held at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina. The Deacons ultimately advanced to the quarterfinal round for the seventh-straight year, dating back to 2015-16.
Thursday, April 20 – No. 9-seed Wake Forest 4, No. 8-seed Notre Dame 2
The Deacs persevered during their first day in Cary, bouncing back from a loss in doubles play to knock off No. 8-seeded Notre Dame through singles wins, 4-2.
It was the first time this spring that Wake Forest finished victorious in a match after dropping the doubles point. The team picked up a ranked victory in the process, with Notre Dame being No. 23 in the country at the time.
Freshman Nevena Carton acted as a clutch factor for her Deacs, forcing a third set in singles before ultimately clinching the match point. Not long before the deciding play, her classmate, Whitley Pate, moved Wake Forest ahead in the contest with a sixth-singles victory. Casie Wooten and Brooke Killingsworth added solo wins of their own during the afternoon.
The Deacons are now 2-0, all-time, over Notre Dame in the ACC tournament. Additionally, the team has won five of its last seven meetings against the Fighting Irish.
Friday, April 21 – No. 1-seed North Carolina 4, No. 9-seed Wake Forest 0
Wake Forest saw its run in the ACC Championships come to an end on Friday morning (April 21), falling to No. 1-seeded North Carolina (28-0) in the quarterfinal round. The Tar Heels clipped a victorious 4-0 decision.
Anna Brylin mainly led the way for her squad, impressively notching a 6-2 first-set victory in second singles before her match went unfinished.
Revamped Rankings
Wake Forest was tabbed No. 30 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, released on Thursday (May 4). Three total individuals remain in the individual portion of national nods:
ITA Singles:
- No. 57 – Casie Wooten
- No. 73 – Anna Brylin
ITA Doubles:
- No. 24 – Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth
Series History
Versus Arizona State
- Series: Wake Forest leads, 2-1
- Last Time: Jan. 26, 2019
- Result: W, 4-0
Scouting the Opposition
No. 23 Arizona State is entering the NCAA Tournament for a 35th consecutive year, as head coach Sheila McInerney has led the Sun Devils to the postseason in every spring since 1987, excluding the shortened 2020 season.
In its last time out, Arizona State fell in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Championships, suffering a 4-1 defeat to USC on April 27.
The Sun Devils finished out the regular season in winning five contests over ranked foes en route to solidifying an undefeated home schedule for the first time in program history.
Two individual players and a doubles team hold national rankings within the roster:
ITA Rankings:
- No. 24 Domenika Turkovic/Patricija Spaka – Doubles
- No. 104 Chelsea Fontenel – Singles
- No. 122 Giulia Morlet – Singles
Standout Selections
Wake Forest learned on Tuesday (May 2) that three of its players were chosen to compete in the 2023 NCAA Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships. Casie Wooten made the cut for singles, while Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth earned a place within the doubles pool. Each Deac earned an at-large selection. Additionally, Brylin was named to the singles' alternate list. Individual competition is slated to take place from May 22-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, following the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 17-20.
This will be the third career appearance for Brylin/Killingsworth in doubles and second total for Wooten in the event, as she partook in the doubles section last year.
Having played together since 2020-21, Brylin/Kilingsworth are currently tied with Liz Barker/Dana Evans (1991-94) for fourth all-time in wins (58) as a duo throughout program history. The pair is also one of two Deacon tandems to have collected 50 or more wins. Brylin/Killingsworth continue to pace the team, leading with a 14-7 doubles record and being ranked since the spring's initial release, currently No. 24 in the country. A year ago, the two were named All-Americans by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in 2022.
Embracing a greater role as a junior, Wooten has handled the No. 1 singles spot for Wake Forest for the entirety of 2023, standing third on the roster in solo wins (13). The Torrance, California, native's seven victories over ranked opponents are a team-best and she took home MVP honors of the 75th annual Blue Gray Classic on Feb. 25 after the Deacs claimed the championship crown. Wooten has maintained the highest national ranking among Wake Forest players since the fall semester. Per the latest listings by the ITA, she is No. 57.
Additionally, Wake Forest has steadied a solid balance of solo performances from its group, as four players have racked up 10 or more singles victories:
- Anna Brylin: 17-5
- Nevena Carton: 15-10
- Casie Wooten: 13-13
- Brooke Killingsworth: 10-10
Three Deacon pairs have recorded double-digit wins in doubles as well:
- Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth: 14-7
- Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate: 12-8
- Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten: 11-8
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