The article was originally published on April 3, 2023.
Arizona State tennis (11-8) pushed its losing streak to four on Sunday afternoon losing 4-3 against UCLA (9-5) in a back and forth match.
The Sun Devils struggled in doubles as junior Jacob Bullard and freshman Constantinos Koshis lost their match (6-3). Sophomore Murphy Cassone and freshman Roi Ginat also lost their match (7-6, 7-3).
The Sun Devils won all of their points in singles with wins by Cassone (7-5, 6-3), junior Max McKennon (6-2, 6-1), and Ginat (6-2, 6-4).
ASU certainly had its chances throughout the day to take control of some tight matches, however mistakes along with lack of composure proved to be a problem during certain times throughout the afternoon.
“Just some fundamentals that got to be a little sharper. It’s interesting there really clean and sharp for the most part getting into the key moments and then it seems like the fundamentals are just breaking down on us when it really really counts,” coach Matt Hill said.
The status of Koshis was questionable before game time due to the flu.
“Being a great teammate is easy to do when things are feeling good. It’s when you’re not playing well, you’re not feeling well, you’re hurting, that’s when it’s hard to be a great teammate and they’re learning about running towards that [discomfort] and that’s something we have to continue working on,” coach Matt Hill said.
It was a tough finish for the Sun Devils with the deciding point coming down to a singles match featuring Koshis. With all other matches finishing up there were a lot of eyes watching and no doubt a pressure to perform.
“CK is doing everything he can, I mean literally everything he can there,” coach Matt Hill said.
What has been a tough schedule for the Sun Devils should get a little easier as they take on Washington and Oregon in their next two matches. Washington lost to Oregon earlier today and the Sun Devils shutout Oregon (4-0) in their previous match this year.
“We just keep working on the things that we are working on, the things that we touched on. Attention to detail on some of the areas that were seeing in the critical moments and keep drilling down on the fundamentals,” coach Matt Hill said.
The Sun Devils will look to turn things around Friday against Washington continuing their four-game homestand.
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