EUGENE/SEATTLE – After a quick trip to Salt Lake City last week, the Arizona State men's tennis team is back out on the road, this time taking a trip up to the Pacific Northwest to take on conference foes No. 41 Oregon and Washington.
ASU (11-7) looks to secure solid footing and go on its first win streak in conference play. The Sun Devils rode into Pac-12 play with an eight-game win streak, but went on to face two of the top-ranked programs in the country in No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Ohio State. Although they have faced eight ranked opponents with more on the tap, a tough schedule is something coach Matt Hill had planned all along.
"I feel like when we were preparing for top-10 teams, we were really excited and really prepared for those," coach Matt Hill said. "When we were playing some of the teams that weren't ranked as high, we weren't as engaged and keeping the intensity level in training."
Michael Geerts is also looking to right the ship on the road, as he suffered an uncharacteristic loss against Utah. The Belgian has been on a hot streak of late, going 11-2 in his last 13 matchups – including an upset of No. 2 Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State – to secure two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors so far this season.
"I was struggling a little bit in the beginning of the season, I have to admit," Geerts said. "One bad match doesn't make it a bad season, although losing 4-3 when I lost my match, in general it was kind of a disappointing weekend. It's really important to stay positive for the next few matches because they're definitely not going to be easier."
The senior has been a consistent cog in the Devils' success, notching 11 solo wins in dual match play so far this season.
While Geerts holds the highest winning percentage on the team, two more members of ASU's squad follow closely behind him with No. 66 Benjamin Hannestad boasting a 6-4 record, and Andrea Bolla tallying eight wins and five loses.
Anchoring court two, Hannestad's unbeaten record against ranked men in 2018 will be put to the test again this weekend, as the Ducks placed two in the ITA/Oracle rankings while the Huskies have one.
Bolla has been on a hot streak as of late, notching six victories in his last seven matchups. Pairing together with Makey Rakotomalala, the tandem debuted in the ITA/Oracle rankings at No. 86 in the latest poll. The pair marks the first doubles partners to break the rankings since Benjamin Hannestad and Tim Ruehl in the Nov. 15 update.
"I think our doubles moves were good moves because we've won every doubles point in conference and we've played some good schools," Hill said. "Andrea and Mak have been playing really well together because they gel well together, their style fits really well together."
The Sun Devils have favorable series histories over both opponents, holding a dominating 13-2 record over Oregon and a 15-7 record over Washington.
Both teams battled it out in Husky territory last weekend, with the No. 41 Ducks coming out on top. Oregon took the doubles point with two quick victories, but Washington swiped two victories of their own in singles play to stake a 2-1 lead. It came down to a 3-3 tie with Oregon outlasting Washington with a 4-3 thrilling victory.
The last time ASU traveled up to the Pacific Northwest was in their 2008 season, sweeping the road trip against No. 40 Washington and No. 38 Oregon.
Friday's matchup is slated for a 3 p.m. MST start with things on Sunday kicking off at 1 p.m. MST.
Both matches will be streamed online with the Oregon matchup available here and the Washington contest here.
ASU (11-7) looks to secure solid footing and go on its first win streak in conference play. The Sun Devils rode into Pac-12 play with an eight-game win streak, but went on to face two of the top-ranked programs in the country in No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Ohio State. Although they have faced eight ranked opponents with more on the tap, a tough schedule is something coach Matt Hill had planned all along.
"I feel like when we were preparing for top-10 teams, we were really excited and really prepared for those," coach Matt Hill said. "When we were playing some of the teams that weren't ranked as high, we weren't as engaged and keeping the intensity level in training."
Michael Geerts is also looking to right the ship on the road, as he suffered an uncharacteristic loss against Utah. The Belgian has been on a hot streak of late, going 11-2 in his last 13 matchups – including an upset of No. 2 Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State – to secure two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors so far this season.
"I was struggling a little bit in the beginning of the season, I have to admit," Geerts said. "One bad match doesn't make it a bad season, although losing 4-3 when I lost my match, in general it was kind of a disappointing weekend. It's really important to stay positive for the next few matches because they're definitely not going to be easier."
The senior has been a consistent cog in the Devils' success, notching 11 solo wins in dual match play so far this season.
While Geerts holds the highest winning percentage on the team, two more members of ASU's squad follow closely behind him with No. 66 Benjamin Hannestad boasting a 6-4 record, and Andrea Bolla tallying eight wins and five loses.
Anchoring court two, Hannestad's unbeaten record against ranked men in 2018 will be put to the test again this weekend, as the Ducks placed two in the ITA/Oracle rankings while the Huskies have one.
Bolla has been on a hot streak as of late, notching six victories in his last seven matchups. Pairing together with Makey Rakotomalala, the tandem debuted in the ITA/Oracle rankings at No. 86 in the latest poll. The pair marks the first doubles partners to break the rankings since Benjamin Hannestad and Tim Ruehl in the Nov. 15 update.
"I think our doubles moves were good moves because we've won every doubles point in conference and we've played some good schools," Hill said. "Andrea and Mak have been playing really well together because they gel well together, their style fits really well together."
The Sun Devils have favorable series histories over both opponents, holding a dominating 13-2 record over Oregon and a 15-7 record over Washington.
Both teams battled it out in Husky territory last weekend, with the No. 41 Ducks coming out on top. Oregon took the doubles point with two quick victories, but Washington swiped two victories of their own in singles play to stake a 2-1 lead. It came down to a 3-3 tie with Oregon outlasting Washington with a 4-3 thrilling victory.
The last time ASU traveled up to the Pacific Northwest was in their 2008 season, sweeping the road trip against No. 40 Washington and No. 38 Oregon.
Friday's matchup is slated for a 3 p.m. MST start with things on Sunday kicking off at 1 p.m. MST.
Both matches will be streamed online with the Oregon matchup available here and the Washington contest here.