The Arizona State men's tennis team will begin its comeback season playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation, and that is something first-year mentor Matt Hill plans on making a tradition.
The Sun Devils under first-year mentor Hill will face Big Ten champion Ohio State, Big 12 champion TCU, SEC co-champion Texas A&M and will begin its season hosting Duke on Jan. 13, a match with history behind it.
It was Duke who eliminated Arizona State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the last time a Sun Devil men's tennis team competed.
After hosting Duke, the Sun Devils host Texas A&M the next day (Jan. 14), as the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 before falling to UCLA last year and ended 21-7 on the year.
After advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons and eighth time overall in program history, TCU finished 22-5 marking the third straight season of 20-plus wins and swept the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles for the second straight season. TCU visits Tempe on Jan. 21.
ASU will play Ohio State on March 14, with the site still to be determined. Ohio State has won the Big Ten title seven times, including its 2017 title.
The Pac-12 will announce its schedule at a later date, but it will include the usual strong teams with top-20 teams UCLA (#5), USC (#6), California (#10), Stanford (#16) and Oregon (#24).
The 2018 Pac-12 Men's Tennis Championship will be held April 25-29 at Ojai Valley Athletic Club, while this year's NCAA Championship will be hosted by Wake Forest in Winston-Salem May 17-28. @SunDevilMTennis 2018 Non-Conference Schedule (Final 2017 ITA Ranking Noted)
Jan. 13 vs. #35 Duke
Jan. 14 vs. #12 Texas A&M
Jan. 21 vs. #8 TCU
Feb. 9-11: ASU Invitational (LMU, #49 Cal Poly, Fresno State)
Feb. 17 vs. #47 San Diego
Feb. 18: vs. Pepperdine
Feb. 23-25: @Blue/Gray Tournament in Orlando
Mar. 14: vs. #4 Ohio State (site TBD)
Mar. 16-18: @Indian Wells Tournament
Mar. 24: vs. New Mexico
The Sun Devils under first-year mentor Hill will face Big Ten champion Ohio State, Big 12 champion TCU, SEC co-champion Texas A&M and will begin its season hosting Duke on Jan. 13, a match with history behind it.
It was Duke who eliminated Arizona State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the last time a Sun Devil men's tennis team competed.
"Our goal at Arizona State is to put together the most difficult schedule for our student-athletes, so that they are challenged and pushed every week. I know this schedule shows that," says Hill. "We're very fortunate to have the coaches of our non-conference opponents support us by scheduling us during this period as we bring the program back. We're very grateful that they accepted. I also credit our staff for putting this schedule together. In addition to being great for our student-athletes, this schedule is exciting for the tennis community, and especially for our fans to be able to see the best competition college tennis has to offer."
After hosting Duke, the Sun Devils host Texas A&M the next day (Jan. 14), as the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 before falling to UCLA last year and ended 21-7 on the year.
After advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons and eighth time overall in program history, TCU finished 22-5 marking the third straight season of 20-plus wins and swept the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles for the second straight season. TCU visits Tempe on Jan. 21.
ASU will play Ohio State on March 14, with the site still to be determined. Ohio State has won the Big Ten title seven times, including its 2017 title.
The Pac-12 will announce its schedule at a later date, but it will include the usual strong teams with top-20 teams UCLA (#5), USC (#6), California (#10), Stanford (#16) and Oregon (#24).
The 2018 Pac-12 Men's Tennis Championship will be held April 25-29 at Ojai Valley Athletic Club, while this year's NCAA Championship will be hosted by Wake Forest in Winston-Salem May 17-28. @SunDevilMTennis 2018 Non-Conference Schedule (Final 2017 ITA Ranking Noted)
Jan. 13 vs. #35 Duke
Jan. 14 vs. #12 Texas A&M
Jan. 21 vs. #8 TCU
Feb. 9-11: ASU Invitational (LMU, #49 Cal Poly, Fresno State)
Feb. 17 vs. #47 San Diego
Feb. 18: vs. Pepperdine
Feb. 23-25: @Blue/Gray Tournament in Orlando
Mar. 14: vs. #4 Ohio State (site TBD)
Mar. 16-18: @Indian Wells Tournament
Mar. 24: vs. New Mexico