Cako and Smith to compete in NCAA individual championships

Seniors Jacquline Cako and Nicole Smith of the Arizona State Sun Devi's (17-6; 6-4 Pac-12) women's tennis team will compete in singles and doubles play at the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship in Urbana, Ill. beginning Wednesday, May 22.

Cako wil compete in one of the first matches of the tournament against Lauren Embree of Florida at 9:30 a.m. Embree is seeded No. 1 overall in the singles portion of the tournament. This will be the first match for Cako since being eliminated from the NCAA Team Championships in Atlanta, Ga at the hands of the home town Georgia Bull Dogs. The senior is currently ranked No. 21 overall by the ITA and was recently awarded her third straight All-Pac-12 Second Team honors.

In doubles play on Thursday, Cako will match up with her partner Nicole Smith as they take on Breaunna Addison and Noel Scott of the University of Texas out of the Big 12 conference. Cako and Smith are currently ranked No. 31 overall by the ITA. Last time out, the duo was defeated by Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia of Georgia in the second round of the NCAA Team Championships on May 12. 

As a team, Arizona State ended the regular season with a No. 26 ranking and earned their 26th-Straight-NCAA Tournament Bid under the direction of Head Coach Sheila McInerney.

Tournament information is available at the University of Illinois Athletics Home Page and also on thesundevils.com. Play begins at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday and runs until Monday May 27 when a singles champion will be named. Doubles play begins on Thursday May 23, with a champion walking away at the end of play on Monday May 27.