Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Tennis: Sun Devils earn first three wins over weekend

By Carson Roberts

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs on the field during the fourth quarter of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs on the field during the fourth quarter of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

ASU tennis excelled on Friday and Saturday with wins over Loyola Marymount, Fresno State and Cal Poly.

The Sun Devils (3-3) recovered from a rough 0-3 start to the season with strong play against the three Californian teams.

The 3-0 record this weekend proved to head coach Matt Hill that the team is getting more comfortable with playing in the NCAA, which is an important step in the current program’s first year.

Hill said part of the learning curve is adjusting to having a coach on the court during matches.

“When we’re there giving them information in the middle of a match it’s hard.” Hill said. “They’ve never had someone talking in their ear while they’re trying to play.”

The weekend provided the first glimpse into how players can use the information to help them, rather than causing them to over-analyze the game.

More from Devils in Detail

Friday began with a match against the Loyola Marymount Lions (4-2), which the Sun Devils won 4-2.

Although they dropped the doubles matchups, Matt Hill’s team dominated singles play. The Sun Devils earned four wins and only dropped one match.

The third matchup, between Benjamin Hannestad and Lukas Moenter, ended before completion because the Sun Devils won the match. Hannestad led 6-5 in the final set.

The only other team to beat the Lions this season is the nation’s seventh-ranked team, the UCLA Bruins.

After a somewhat close match with Loyola Marymount, Arizona State swept the Fresno State Bulldogs (7-2).

The 4-0 win consisted of only singles matches, with the doubles point scheduled for later if necessary.

Michael Geerts, Makey Rakotomalala and Tim Ruehl all won their matches in straight sets. Hannestad tacked on the team’s fourth win after taking the third set 6-4.

The Sun Devils faced the Cal Poly Mustangs (5-3) Saturday afternoon in the game that would help the team break even in terms of their season record.

Rakotomalala continued his fantastic weekend with his third win in the singles portion of the match. He didn’t lose a matchup all weekend, with two of his wins coming in straight sets.

The fiery player used hard-hitting play and celebrations to bring energy to the courts on multiple occasions.

“It’s two matches, so when I fire up, I hype up my teammates too,” Rakotomalala said. “I try to give energy and they give me energy back.”

The energy was felt both on the courts and off of them, as the fans in the stands came alive whenever Rakotomalala won a point.

Rakotomalala’s energy spread to his teammates, which helped the Sun Devils to a 4-1 win over the Mustangs. In addition to Rakotomalala, ASU earned a point from their first doubles win of the year.

Next: ASU Tennis: Sun Devils fall to No. 10 Horned Frogs

Next for Arizona State is a weekend in Southern California, as they visit San Diego and Pepperdine on Feb. 17 and 18.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.