Doubles matches have been huge for the ASU men's tennis team this year, and this past weekend at the Pac-10 Championships was no different.
Sophomore Matt Brooklyn and junior T.J. Bellama paired to lead the Sun Devils with an appearance in the doubles championship.
Brooklyn and Bellama came in to the tournament ranked No. 45 nationally in doubles play, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The duo improved every round en route to the finals with an 8-5 victory in the round of 16 followed by an 8-4 victory in the quarterfinals.
The semifinals saw a rival clash, matching Brooklyn and Bellama, against the UA duo of Bruno Alcala and Claudio Christen.
Brooklyn and Bellama dominated the match and advanced to the finals with a convincing 8-3 win.
In the finals, the Sun Devil tandem came close, but fell to Kaes Van't Hof and Robert Farah from USC 6-4, 6-4.
Hof and Farah are ranked No. 2 in the country and were seeded No. 1 for the tournament.
Wes Miller also had success on the court, advancing to the championship game in singles play. Miller went to the tie-breaker in both sets, but came up on the losing end both times, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).
Women fall short of championships
The ASU women's tennis team sent one doubles team and a singles player to the semifinals of the Pac-10 Championships draw, but failed to make any appearances in the finals.
Sophomore Nadia Abdala, who was a No. 7 seed in the 32-player singles field, reached the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over No. 3-seeded Marina Cossou of California.
Abdala lost to second-seeded Amanda Fink of USC 6-3, 6-2 the following day.
"Nadia won three matches and lost to a top-10 opponent," ASU coach Sheila McInerney said. "It was a good experience for her. She's only a sophomore, and I think she was nervous."
In doubles play, the freshmen tandem of Micaela Hein and Kelcy McKenna took out the No. 1-seeded doubles team from UCLA 8-5 in the round of 16. Hein and McKenna were later defeated in the quarterfinals 9-7.
However, ASU seniors Jessica Leitch and Wendy Pilecka were able to make it to the semis as a doubles team.
Leitch and Pilecka won their quarterfinals match 8-4 but lost in the semifinals in a heartbreaking 9-8 (5) loss to Cossou and Claire Ilcinkas of Cal.
"Overall, it was a super tourney for us," McInerney said.
The Sun Devils will continue their season at the NCAA Regional on May 9. The Sun Devils are still unsure if they will host a regional but will find out Tuesday.
Reach the reporter at: todonnel@asu.edu.
