TEMPE, Ariz. – One individual and two doubles pairs found themselves on the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Tennis Rankings as announced by the association Wednesday morning. The ITA recognized Nathan Ponwith as a singles player and in tandem with Dominik Kellovsky, and the pair of Tim Ruehl and Andrea Bolla.
No. 65 Ponwith makes his debut on the regular season poll, as he earned a No. 49 ranking in the Sept. 11 preseason poll but dropped out after not playing in collegiate tournaments in the fall.
The ITA recognized the Scottsdale-native after he notched his first win as a Sun Devil, downing Enrique Luque Rico of Pepperdine to secure a 7-0 win for ASU over the Waves. The win brought Ponwith's overall record to 4-2, as he turned heads after finishing the Tempe Collegiate Cup - a match play tournament - with a spotless 3-0 record. Ponwith defeated two ranked opponents in the three-day tournament including No. 69 Eduardo Roldan of TCU and No. 67 Niclas Braun of Mississippi State.
Ponwith also earned a ranking in tandem with junior Dominik Kellovsky at No. 36. The pair holds a perfect 3-0 overall record this season, with one win coming in the Tempe Collegiate Cup, one against No. 1 Wake Forest and the other against Pepperdine. They defeated the No. 36-ranked pair in Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic of Mississippi State in their first match together at the TCC and never looked back.
The pair played a crucial role in securing the doubles point against No. 1 Wake Forest, as it came down to their 7-5 victory to clinch the first point. The two would have notched their second victory over a ranked opponent against No. 20 Oklahoma State, but the Sun Devils clinched the first point with victories on courts two and three to leave them unfinished at 5-2.
Bolla/Ruehl continue to hold their ranking as a doubles pair, this time around at No. 26. The two were first recognized at the No. 22 spot in the last poll on Nov. 14. Although the pair haven't played together as of recent, they hold a 5-2 record as a tandem, a team-best. In the fall, the pair fought to the quarterfinal match of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships and transferred that success into two wins at the TCC and another 6-1 win in the Sun Devils' season opener at Duke.
The Sun Devil men's tennis squad is back in action this weekend when they take on No. 2 Ohio State on Friday and Indiana on Sunday. Fans can keep up with the action all season long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
No. 65 Ponwith makes his debut on the regular season poll, as he earned a No. 49 ranking in the Sept. 11 preseason poll but dropped out after not playing in collegiate tournaments in the fall.
The ITA recognized the Scottsdale-native after he notched his first win as a Sun Devil, downing Enrique Luque Rico of Pepperdine to secure a 7-0 win for ASU over the Waves. The win brought Ponwith's overall record to 4-2, as he turned heads after finishing the Tempe Collegiate Cup - a match play tournament - with a spotless 3-0 record. Ponwith defeated two ranked opponents in the three-day tournament including No. 69 Eduardo Roldan of TCU and No. 67 Niclas Braun of Mississippi State.
Ponwith also earned a ranking in tandem with junior Dominik Kellovsky at No. 36. The pair holds a perfect 3-0 overall record this season, with one win coming in the Tempe Collegiate Cup, one against No. 1 Wake Forest and the other against Pepperdine. They defeated the No. 36-ranked pair in Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic of Mississippi State in their first match together at the TCC and never looked back.
The pair played a crucial role in securing the doubles point against No. 1 Wake Forest, as it came down to their 7-5 victory to clinch the first point. The two would have notched their second victory over a ranked opponent against No. 20 Oklahoma State, but the Sun Devils clinched the first point with victories on courts two and three to leave them unfinished at 5-2.
Bolla/Ruehl continue to hold their ranking as a doubles pair, this time around at No. 26. The two were first recognized at the No. 22 spot in the last poll on Nov. 14. Although the pair haven't played together as of recent, they hold a 5-2 record as a tandem, a team-best. In the fall, the pair fought to the quarterfinal match of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships and transferred that success into two wins at the TCC and another 6-1 win in the Sun Devils' season opener at Duke.
The Sun Devil men's tennis squad is back in action this weekend when they take on No. 2 Ohio State on Friday and Indiana on Sunday. Fans can keep up with the action all season long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.