ASU Men’s Tennis: Sun Devils hit the road to face duo of fierce Big-10 foes

Photo: Alex Roddier/WCSN

(Photo: Alex Roddier/WCSN)

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that junior Nathan Ponwith became the first ASU singles player to be ranked by the Oracle/ITA after slotting in at No. 65 in the Feb. 5 update. It has been corrected to say Ponwith is the first since the preseason poll was released in September, which featured three ASU players.*

After being handed its first win of the year against Loyola Marymount after the team forfeited due to a “team-wide illness,” Arizona State defeated Pepperdine 7-0 in its first home match of the season on Saturday. It was one of only five home matches the Sun Devils play this season, and the team is back on the road this weekend taking a trip to the Big-10 to face No. 2 Ohio State and Indiana.

Against Pepperdine, ASU had all facets of the game were working for it. The 7-0 sweep versus a talented squad was indicative of the success the team had all across the board.

“It was fun,” graduate transfer Justin Roberts said. “We had a pretty good crowd out, there was a lot of energy out here. For all of us to get some wins was a good start and boost for the coming weekend.”

Entering this weekend’s action at 2-3, ASU will try to build off a match which saw it play its best tennis of the early season.

The Sun Devils will be challenged by a couple of tough non-conference opponents on their trip to the Midwest. A year ago, ASU also took on a No 2. ranked Ohio State squad. Although the team fell 4-2, there were some bright moments that the program hopes to build on this time around. Sophomore Tim Ruehl contributed a point in ASU’s loss last season to the Buckeyes, and he hopes to achieve the same result this upcoming weekend.

“I’m feeling good right now in general,” Ruehl said. “Last year I played a German kid (then-freshman Tim Seibert) who I knew for a long time already, so it was a special match. Two Germans against each other in the USA. Maybe there will be a rematch this weekend, but I’m ready for Friday.”

In this early portion of the season, the Sun Devils have thrived in doubles, winning the crucial point in each of their five matches this season. The doubles point is an important aspect of college tennis because it can help set the tone and establish rhythm and cohesion throughout the team heading into singles play. It also gives the winner a one point advantage into singles play, allowing that team to only need three singles wins to clinch an overall match victory.

“Our guys complement each other well in terms of personalities and skill sets,” coach Matt Hill said. “I think we’ve got some good pairings going on. Ohio State always has some of the best doubles in the country, so it will be a big challenge for us.”

ASU’s court one pairing of juniors Dominik Kellovsky and Nathan Ponwith have been successful thus far as doubles partners. The tandem is 3-0 on the season and entered the most recent iteration of the Oracle/ITA national doubles rankings (Feb. 6 update) tied with another pair at No. 36.

“We’ve been playing really well together,” Ponwith said. “Doubles is a huge asset for us and is the way we start off strong.”

For ASU, with the majority of its schedule being on the road, it is vital that the team is successful in its limited amount of home matches. Winning on the road is a much tougher task, and the Sun Devils will have to put forth a solid weekend of tennis if they want to escape with at least a split.

The Feb. 6 update of the Oracle/ITA rankings featured another ASU doubles tandem, as sophomores Ruehl and Andrea Bolla were slotted at No. 26. Bollas has been a non-participant in recent matches, so sophomore William Kirkman has filled in his role alongside Ruehl in doubles, and on court six in singles.

In singles, Ponwith is ranked No. 65, becoming the first Sun Devil singles player this season to enter the Oracle/ITA rankings since the Sept. 11 preseason poll which featured three (sophomore Benjamin Hannestad, No. 44; Ponwith, No. 49; and junior Makey Rakotomalala, No 80).

Ohio State:

At No. 2 in the nation, the Buckeyes are one of the most talented teams that ASU will face all season. Coming off an impressive 6-1 victory over then-No. 9 Stanford, Ohio State remains undefeated at 6-0.

The Buckeyes have five nationally ranked singles players, including No. 2 junior JJ Wolf, No. 12 redshirt junior Kyle Seelig, No. 62 sophomore John McNally, No. 86 redshirt junior Alex Kobelt and No. 101 Seibert.

As for doubles, Ohio State has two ranked tandems. No. 7 Kobelt and Selig and the senior duo of No. 11 Hunter Tubert and Martin Joyce will test ASU’s doubles undefeated streak this weekend.

ASU takes on Ohio State on Friday at 4 p.m. MST.

Indiana:

Indiana enters the weekend at 4-2 after narrowly defeating Middle Tennessee 4-3 in its last match.

Junior Bennett Crane is the only Hoosier ranked in the most recent Oracle/ITA singles rankings, entering the weekend at No. 111.

ASU will face Indiana on Sunday at 12 p.m. MST.