In his eighth year in Tempe, Arizona State Men’s Tennis head coach Matt Hill faces heightened expectations, with his squad entering the season as the No. 18 team in the country (Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings).
The team, led by sophomore Bor Artnak, joins a Big 12 conference that boasts a plethora of talent. Ranging from Texas Christian University (ranked two in ITA preseason rankings), Arizona University (ranked six in ITA preseason rankings) and more.
Thursday, ASU looked the part of a team ranked No. 18 in the country by sweeping Loyola Marymount University 7-0 and taking down New Mexico State University 6-1.
“You could tell for sure there’s a little more jitters out there than there were last week,” Hill said. “Really trying to build off of some of the core principles and fundamentals that we’re expecting from them. And I thought, to be quite honest, for the most part, that was pretty good today.”
Artnak, the Sun Devils’ number-one player, oozed with confidence from the jump in his singles and doubles matchup. He maintains high expectations for himself and the team as they enter a new era in the Big 12.
“I think we have a really special team,” Artnak said. “We’re going to try to fight harder than anyone else out there, and I think the result will come with it. And I’m super excited for it; everyone’s gonna give their best.”
ASU, who went 18-12 last season with a much veteran-heavy lineup, now will lean towards some of the underclassmen in the lineup, as they brought in four new freshmen and two transfers this past offseason.
“We’ve seen a lot already from them, just a lot of skill and a lot of range of skills from them,” Hill said. “We’ve got a really, good young group and some really good transfers; it’s been fun. Fun change to last year’s team in that sense.”
In a success-filled year for Arizona State athletics, the tennis team looks to build on the accomplishments of other ASU programs and live up to the elevated expectations set for athletics in Tempe by playing to a higher standard.
“It’s a little bit of a learning thing,” Hill said. “I told them before the match, in my eyes, we’re not playing LMU, New Mexico State today. We’re playing to us, our standards, and how we function at a high level, both as a program, philosophically, and structurally, from a tactical standpoint tennis-wise.”
After a strong showing on Thursday against LMU and NMSU, the Sun Devils will hit the road this weekend, on Sunday, Jan. 19, to take on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
Leave a Reply