ASU weekend preview: Lacrosse to continue successful campaign in host Pac-12 Tournament
Arizona State lacrosse will host the Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament for the first time in program history beginning Wednesday.
ASU will host the three-day event at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium that will begin Wednesday with a first-round matchup of third-seeded ASU and sixth-seeded California at 7 p.m. The second round will be on Thursday with the winner of ASU and California’s game facing top-seeded USC at 7 p.m. The remaining two teams in the six-team pool will play in the championship game Saturday at 12 p.m.
“It’s really important for the sport. It’s obviously a growing sport and has a lot of growth to be done out here in this state so we’re excited to show the local community what it’s all about and hopefully create some buzz around what we’re doing,” ASU head coach Tim McCormack said.
ASU (9-7, 7-3) is currently ranked No. 23 in the latest poll from Inside Lacrosse/IWCLA after tallying its best season to date. The Sun Devils only suffered a conference sweep from USC and a loss from Stanford this season, but hit a program-best with seven wins. ASU finished third in the regular-season standings, but had a chance to finish higher before its final game of the season.
The program's efforts didn't go unnoticed by the conference as McCormack was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second straight season on the tournament's first day. The award is voted on by other coaches in the conference.He is now one of only 15 head coaches in school history to win back-to-back conference coach of the year honors.
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The Sun Devils have enjoyed a successful run this season backed by the upperclassmen. Graduate student Carley Adams has been with the program since the beginning of 2018 and has evolved into a major contributor on offense. In her final season, Adams scored 44 goals and tallied 25 assists. Within the last five games, Adams has been on a hot streak with 32 points. Graduate student Emily Glagolev has also been with Adams since the beginning and has been a key playmaker this season with 33 assists to go with her 40 goals.
Transfers at ASU have also thrived in the new environment this season as well. Northwestern graduate transfer Taylor Pinzone has eclipsed her production from her past program with 37 goals and 12 assists over 16 games. Pinzone earned national recognition in early April when she was named Prime Time Lacrosse National Player of the Week by Inside Lacrosse. Oregon graduate transfer Emily Munro had a breakout season with 41 goals and 10 assists.
While ASU has been fronted by a strong group of upperclassmen, true freshman goalie Katie Vahle has held it down throughout the season. Vahle has made 130 saves over 16 games and ranks sixth among freshmen in saves. Vahle is the only freshman from a Power 5 program in the top six.
“She makes her teammates better and has a tremendous amount of trust from her teammates,” McCormack said. “She’s been incredibly consistent down the stretch here and she’s definitely settling in and making others confident. When you have a goalie that makes those extra two or three goals per game, everybody’s confidence goes up a little bit. She’s able to do that and we’re fortunate to have her do that for us.”
Last season, ASU made program history and reached the semifinals for the first time.
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Around campus
No. 12 ASU softball will hold its final home series of the regular season with the toughest opponent in the Pac-12, No. 4 UCLA. ASU (35-7, 16-2 in Pac-12) currently is in control of the Pac-12 with one more conference win than UCLA for first place. The Bruins have the best pitching rotation in the Pac-12 with a combined 1.26 ERA and only 171 hits allowed. ASU got back to winning last weekend with a sweep over California. The two will begin Friday at 5 p.m. and will continue at 4 p.m. on Friday. The series will conclude at 12 p.m. Sunday, airing on Pac-12 Network.
ASU men's golf received conference honors with Preston Summerhays earning Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Graduate student Mason Andersen and senior Cameron Sisk were named to All-Pac-12 first team, while Josele Ballester earned All-Pac-12 first-team and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.
The NCAA announced the upcoming regionals for men's golf. ASU will compete as the top seed in the Stockton Regional at the The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton, California. Arizona will compete as the sixth seed at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. The regional will last from May 16-18 with the top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional advancing to the finals. The NCAA Championships will be held on May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
ASU baseball (20-25, 9-12) will have an important series that will play a role in determining if the Sun Devils receive one of the final qualifying seeds in the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale later this month. ASU will host Utah (25-17-1, 10-11) beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by Saturday’s game at 6 p.m., and will conclude Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
ASU senior Domenika Turkovic and freshman Patricija Spaka will represent ASU at the NCAA Doubles Championships on May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champagne, Illinois. The top doubles team for ASU women’s tennis is ranked No. 26 in the country.
ASU freshman Murphy Cassone will head to the NCAA Singles Championships held on May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Illinois. All matches will be the best-of-three sets.
ASU thrower Jorinde van Klinken earned Pac-12 Women's Field Athlete of the Week for the second straight week. Van Klinken tallied her season-best marks in both the shot put and discus at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson last weekend.
ASU women's golf head coach Missy Farr-Kaye was named to the watch list for the Division I Jackie Steinmann National Coach of the Year. ASU has won the award on six different occasions.
ASU hockey signed five transfers including four forwards and a goaltender for the inaugural season at the new arena. Northeastern leads with three transfers, including goaltender TJ Semptimphelter, along with forwards Ty Jackson and Dylan Jackson. In addition, forward Robert Mastrosimone transferred from Boston University and Lukas Sillinger transferred from Bemidji State. The group combined for 86 total points last season.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU preview: Lacrosse set to host Pac-12 Tournament
