OJAI, Calif. – In its first postseason appearance since being cut as a program in 2008, Sun Devil men's tennis looks to take California by storm this weekend as the No. 6 seed at the 2018 Pac-12 Championships.
"We're happy that in our first year with the program we're competitive, and our seeding is a representation of that," coach Matt Hill said. "We're excited that we've been extremely competitive in the conference against all of those schools, and it's exciting to get ready for the weekend."
After a 4-0 sweep of in-state rival Arizona, the Sun Devils carries serious momentum headed into Ojai for the four-day event beginning Wednesday. ASU easily glided past the Wildcats last Saturday, taking the doubles point with two-straight wins on courts two and three, followed by singles wins from Michaël Geerts, Makey Rakotomalala and Benjamin Hannestad to secure the victory.
The win marked the 14th on the season for the Devils, with ASU taking nine victories in its last 15 matchups. The 14-win mark is a highlight that the program has reached only four times since 1992: 14 this season, 15 in 2008, 16 in 1999 and 14 in 1995.
As the No. 6 seed, the Sun Devils face No. 3 seed USC, whom ASU took on just two weeks ago in Tempe, at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The Trojans swept the doubles point with wins on courts one and two, leaving the tandem of Hannestad/William Kirkman to go unfinished holding a 5-2 lead.
"We just played them recently and it was a really competitive match, and we're excited for it, and we're excited for the challenge," Hill said. "We like the draw that we have and we're excited to go to war on Thursday."
Hannestad came out firing in singles play, representing the only point scored by the Sun Devils in the 4-1 loss. The Dane notched a win over No. 84 Daniel Cuckierman in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, while Geerts went unfinished for the first time this spring holding a 4-6, 7-5, 2-1 lead over No. 13 Brandon Holt.
"Obviously, [Michaël] Geerts has been playing exceptionally well, and Benjamin [Hannestad] is getting back to his normal form and that's been really exciting for us," Hill said. "We really feel like all nine spots we're putting out there - the three doubles and the six singles - feel confident in each position and that they have a great chance to win when we step out against anybody."
The Trojans look to defend their 2017 Pac-12 title in Ojai again this year, as they defeated the No. 1 seeded UCLA for their third conference championship in the past five years. Holding a 15-7 record this spring, the Trojans have played some of the toughest opponents in the nation in No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 18 Georgia.
First serve for Thursday's matchup is set for 6 p.m. at Libby Park in Ojai, Calif. Fans can follow the action all week long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
"We're happy that in our first year with the program we're competitive, and our seeding is a representation of that," coach Matt Hill said. "We're excited that we've been extremely competitive in the conference against all of those schools, and it's exciting to get ready for the weekend."
After a 4-0 sweep of in-state rival Arizona, the Sun Devils carries serious momentum headed into Ojai for the four-day event beginning Wednesday. ASU easily glided past the Wildcats last Saturday, taking the doubles point with two-straight wins on courts two and three, followed by singles wins from Michaël Geerts, Makey Rakotomalala and Benjamin Hannestad to secure the victory.
The win marked the 14th on the season for the Devils, with ASU taking nine victories in its last 15 matchups. The 14-win mark is a highlight that the program has reached only four times since 1992: 14 this season, 15 in 2008, 16 in 1999 and 14 in 1995.
As the No. 6 seed, the Sun Devils face No. 3 seed USC, whom ASU took on just two weeks ago in Tempe, at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The Trojans swept the doubles point with wins on courts one and two, leaving the tandem of Hannestad/William Kirkman to go unfinished holding a 5-2 lead.
"We just played them recently and it was a really competitive match, and we're excited for it, and we're excited for the challenge," Hill said. "We like the draw that we have and we're excited to go to war on Thursday."
Hannestad came out firing in singles play, representing the only point scored by the Sun Devils in the 4-1 loss. The Dane notched a win over No. 84 Daniel Cuckierman in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, while Geerts went unfinished for the first time this spring holding a 4-6, 7-5, 2-1 lead over No. 13 Brandon Holt.
"Obviously, [Michaël] Geerts has been playing exceptionally well, and Benjamin [Hannestad] is getting back to his normal form and that's been really exciting for us," Hill said. "We really feel like all nine spots we're putting out there - the three doubles and the six singles - feel confident in each position and that they have a great chance to win when we step out against anybody."
The Trojans look to defend their 2017 Pac-12 title in Ojai again this year, as they defeated the No. 1 seeded UCLA for their third conference championship in the past five years. Holding a 15-7 record this spring, the Trojans have played some of the toughest opponents in the nation in No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 18 Georgia.
First serve for Thursday's matchup is set for 6 p.m. at Libby Park in Ojai, Calif. Fans can follow the action all week long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.