(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)
No. 27 Arizona State competed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and fared better than last year, earning a 4-0 victory over No. 33 Miami (Florida) to advance to the next round. It was a program-defining win, as it gave coach Matt Hill his first postseason victory leading ASU and avenged the team’s 4-0 defeat in the first round of last season’s NCAA’s to Baylor.
“Definitely thought it was one of our best matches of the year,” Hill said. “It was a very complete match. We talk about being competitive at all spots throughout a match and I thought we did that today.”
The contest was ASU’s debut in their second consecutive season qualifying for the Big Dance. Technically, it is the team’s third appearance in a row dating back to 2008 (the last season before the team was discontinued for financial reasons). It was also the team’s first postseason victory since 2004.
After getting reinstated in 2017, the Sun Devils (14-13, 4-4 Pac-12) have now qualified in back-to-back seasons. At the team’s selection show — despite being happy with the qualification — coaches and players expressed their desire to move beyond the first round, with a goal of an Elite 8 run in mind.
“It’s one of those years,” Hill said. “We knew it could be at the beginning of the year, but there were a lot of hurdles — things we had to get through to get there — but we’re here now. We’re excited, feeling good and trusting each other.”
Spearheaded by three transfer players implemented into the program — each with their own added levels of tournament and professional tour experience — the Sun Devils made a statement on Friday.
Despite a relatively slow start in doubles with a loss on court two, ASU was able to bounce back and claim the first point with back-to-back wins on courts three and one. The No. 80 duo of junior Makey Rakotomalala and graduate student Justin Roberts evened the win count with a 6-3 victory against a Hurricanes tandem who came into the contest 12-1 on the year. Then, No. 17 juniors Nathan Ponwith and Dominik Kellovsky, who recently qualified for the NCAA Doubles Tournament, won in a tiebreak 7-6(7-1) to put the Sun Devils on the board first.
“Our trust in our doubles is not a fake trust,” Hill said. “It’s real. We know how good they are. They’ve been proving it all season long.”
The advantage-gaining victory gave ASU its 20th doubles point clinch across 27 matches played. However, at times this year, doubles point success did not translate into overall match victories. On Friday though it flipped the script, maintaining control over Miami (17-11, 7-5 ACC) for a majority of the six singles matches en route to three victories and the win.
“That transition from doubles to singles was by far the best transition we’ve had all year,” Hill said. “When we feel like we’re mathematically in control of the match, as long as we continue to make good decisions and stay poised then we’re going to be just fine.”
ASU raced out to a quick 3-0 lead after sophomore Tim Ruehl defeated the Hurricanes’ No. 87 sophomore Bojan Jankulovski 6-2, 6-0; with Rakotomalala following suit with a straight sets 6-3, 6-4 victory of his own. No. 99 Ponwith achieved a 6-0 bagel in the first set of his match against No. 33 sophomore Adria Soriano Barrera, but was forced into a third set after a 7-5 loss. His match was suspended, as sophomore Andrea Bolla clinched the ASU victory with a 6-4, 7-5 comeback win.
“His mental toughness over the course of the past 18 months has grown by leaps and bounds,” Hill said. “He’s a guy that we have huge trust in. Not only for now, but for long term.”
ASU next faces No. 9 Texas Christian in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. MST. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 41 Harvard 4-1 on Friday to advance. The teams have familiarity with one another this season as they faced off in Fort Worth, Texas, back on March 24. TCU came out on top 4-3 in that match, but it was neck-and-neck the whole way through.
Now in uncharted territory with this program, Hill will look to lead the team one step closer to Orlando, the site of their eventual goal in the Elite 8. The sweep on Friday was the first of its kind for ASU since 1999 and it will look to keep setting records as it progresses through the rest of the NCAA Tournament.
“I thought this was a team win. I thought everyone did a great job — whether they were a role player off the court to whether they were a guy inside the match. We’re excited for tomorrow.”
Match Results:
No. 27 Arizona State vs. No. 33 Miami (4-0 win)
Doubles
- No. 17 Dominik Kellovsky/Nathan Ponwith (ASU) def. Adria Soriano Barrera/Stephen Madonia (UM) – 7-6(1)^
- Bojan Jankulovski/Dane Dunlap (UM) def. Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl (ASU) – 6-2
- No. 80 Justin Roberts/Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Francisco Bastias/Franco Aubone (UM) – 6-3
^Clinched doubles point
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1^
Singles
- No. 99 Nathan Ponwith (ASU) vs. No. 33 Adria Soriano Barrera (UM) – 6-0, 5-7, 1-2 (susp.)
- Dominik Kellovsky (ASU) vs. Francisco Bastias (UM) – 7-5, 6-5 (susp.)
- Justin Roberts (ASU) vs. Dane Dunlap (UM) – 6-4, 6-6 (susp.)
- Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. No. 87 Bojan Jankulovski (UM) – 6-2, 6-0
- Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Franco Aubone (UM) – 6-4, 7-5*
- Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. William Grattan-Smith (UM) – 6-3, 6-4
*Clinched overall match
Order of finish: 4, 6, 5*, (1, 2, 3 susp.)
