ASU Tennis: Sun Devils look to eclipse .500 in California

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the third 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 during the third 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)

After a successful weekend at home in the ASU Invitational, the Arizona State men’s tennis team will look to hold a winning record following this weekend.

The ASU men’s tennis team swept its California opponents in last weekend’s ASU Invitational to improve the team’s record to 3-3 on the year.

Friday, the Sun Devils took their first match in program history when they defeated Loyola Marymount by a score of 4-2. ASU came back in the match after dropping the doubles point, and Makey Rakotomalala secured the final point in the Sun Devil victory.

Later that day, ASU took a commanding 3-0 match lead against Fresno State, but play was suspended due to lightning in the area. Play resumed Saturday morning, and Benjamin Hannestad clinched the 4-0 match victory shortly after.

In the final match of the Invitational, Arizona State took care of business against Cal Poly. Arizona State took the doubles point for the first time of the season, leading to an easy 4-1 victory over the Mustangs.

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Following the tournament, ASU is now 3-3 after dropping the first three matches of the season to Duke, Texas A&M and TCU.

This weekend, the Sun Devils travel to southern California for their matches against San Diego and Pepperdine.

San Diego is off to a strong start to the 2018 campaign with a 3-1 record after four games. The Toreros were swept by Duke for their only loss, but they shocked the country when they defeated TCU in Fort Worth.

Most recently, San Diego defeated UC Santa Barbara 4-3 at home for the team’s third win of the season.

Pepperdine, on the other hand, has struggled mightily to start the 2018 season, as the Waves have lost their last three games. Of their five losses, the Waves are 0-2 against Pac-12 schools in Washington and Oregon, and the team’s one win came against South Alabama.

Next: ASU Tennis: Sun Devils earn first three wins over weekend

The first match of the weekend for the Sun Devils is Saturday against San Diego, and the match will begin at noon local time.