The ASU men's tennis team is looking forward to being at home as they face a pair of top-10 teams.
Today, the Sun Devils take on No. 5 California at 1:30 pm and on Saturday they duel No. 6 Stanford at noon. Both meets will be held at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
Senior Pim Van Mele predicts both teams will be a challenge, particularly California because it has such a solid team.
"They are really tough, especially Cal this year. They are playing really well. Their normal No.1 [player] isn't playing right now, so hopefully he is not playing against us either," Van Mele said. "Though they are strong one-through-six. They don't have real weak links. We just have to play well."
California is on a roll thus far this season with an 8-1 record. They haven't started this well since their 1988 campaign. Stanford is holding a 7-2 record and the Golden Bears hold a 39-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Sun Devils.
Stanford is very motivated because they are looking for their 1,000th dual win in program history. They claimed win No. 999 on Wednesday against Tulane. The official records have been kept since 1926.
Stanford is strong in doubles with the No. 18 duo of freshmen KC Corkery and James Pade.
Van Mele is prepared for a tough meet against the Cardinal and feels that there is something unique about playing Stanford.
"Stanford is always tough. They don't have the best tennis players in the country, but I don't know, there is something special about Stanford, I guess. They are really tough and they fight really well. It will be a tough weekend," Van Mele said.
Head coach Lou Belken is conscious of the talent each school has and admits it will be tough competition.
"They always have the best teams, they have as long as I have been coaching," Belken said. " We got Cal here last year, and we sure want to try to get them this weekend."
Freshman Ryan McBride said a Sun Devil win is possible with have the home-court advantage.
"I think we have a great chance, especially in our house. We play great here and we are undefeated here so far, so we have a good chance," McBride said.
The Sun Devils are coming off of a 4-3 victory against in-state rival University of Arizona. This was the first conference win for the Sun Devils. ASU took the dual with the last match with a singles victory by McBride.
Reach the reporter at kelley.karnes@asu.edu.
