SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Sun Devils duo of Andrea Bolla and Tim Ruehl served up another victory at the ITA National Fall Championships, this time a three-set nail biter against a Pac-12 foe to the tune of a 3-6, 6-3, 17-15 victory Thursday night.
"I thought Washington played a really high-level match," coach Matt Hill said. "I was really impressed with that team, but our guys really just kept hanging around."
For the second night in a row, Ruehl/Bolla notched a come-from-behind victory, dropping their first set 6-3. Down but not out, the Devils tandem fought to stay competitive in the second set against Jack Davis and Piers Foley of Washington.
"We missed some opportunities in the first set, so it kind of slipped away from us," Hill said. "In the second set they really sunk their teeth in and really got gritty there."
Coach Hill commended the tandem's serve returns as their blueprint to success in the second set, taking it 6-3 to force their second tie-breaker set in as many matches at the Fall Championships.
"They took care of business with their return serves," Hill said. "They did a really good job of just staying the course in the second set."
The tie-breaker set was a back-and-forth affair for both sides and lasted 25 minutes. The ASU tandem took a 3-0 lead early on, but from there on out neither duo held a lead larger than two points. Knotted at 10-10 and then later 15-15, the Devils found themselves at match point 16-15. Ruehl sliced a forehand shot that his opponent couldn't handle for the final match-clinching point.
"The third set breaker was really, really difficult," Hill said. "There were a lot of momentum swings, a lot of huge points and missed opportunities on both sides. That was really high-level tennis from both sides in that tie-breaker."
With the win, Ruehl/Bolla advance to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Fall Championships. The tandem is set to face Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn, a duo from Texas Tech who upset the No. 7 seed in the Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinal. Thomson/Wynn were ranked No. 42 in the preseason Oracle/ITA poll.
First serve for the match between the Devils and Red Raiders is set for 6 p.m. MST, and fans can keep up with the action by following live stats or watching the live stream, both linked above.
"I thought Washington played a really high-level match," coach Matt Hill said. "I was really impressed with that team, but our guys really just kept hanging around."
For the second night in a row, Ruehl/Bolla notched a come-from-behind victory, dropping their first set 6-3. Down but not out, the Devils tandem fought to stay competitive in the second set against Jack Davis and Piers Foley of Washington.
"We missed some opportunities in the first set, so it kind of slipped away from us," Hill said. "In the second set they really sunk their teeth in and really got gritty there."
Coach Hill commended the tandem's serve returns as their blueprint to success in the second set, taking it 6-3 to force their second tie-breaker set in as many matches at the Fall Championships.
"They took care of business with their return serves," Hill said. "They did a really good job of just staying the course in the second set."
The tie-breaker set was a back-and-forth affair for both sides and lasted 25 minutes. The ASU tandem took a 3-0 lead early on, but from there on out neither duo held a lead larger than two points. Knotted at 10-10 and then later 15-15, the Devils found themselves at match point 16-15. Ruehl sliced a forehand shot that his opponent couldn't handle for the final match-clinching point.
"The third set breaker was really, really difficult," Hill said. "There were a lot of momentum swings, a lot of huge points and missed opportunities on both sides. That was really high-level tennis from both sides in that tie-breaker."
With the win, Ruehl/Bolla advance to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Fall Championships. The tandem is set to face Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn, a duo from Texas Tech who upset the No. 7 seed in the Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinal. Thomson/Wynn were ranked No. 42 in the preseason Oracle/ITA poll.
First serve for the match between the Devils and Red Raiders is set for 6 p.m. MST, and fans can keep up with the action by following live stats or watching the live stream, both linked above.