Photo by: Tim Nelson
Sheehy draws USC’s Smith for NCAA first round
5/19/2019 8:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ABILENE – Abilene Christian senior Josh Sheehy will face Southern California's Tanner Smith Monday in the first round of the NCAA tennis championship in Orlando, Fla. Sheehy and Smith are somewhat familiar with one another as they previously faced off at the 2017 Oracle ITA Masters when both were at the start of their junior seasons.
"I remember (the match) well because it was my first match and win in Malibu," said Sheehy via phone in Florida. "He was a big, tall kid with a big serve and forehand and I did my best to outlast him on every point and put in as many returns as possible, but I have no idea what to expect this time … we've both come a long way in the last year and a half."
Sheehy won their match at Pepperdine University, 6-3, 7-6 (3), but Smith bounced back to reach the ITA Southwest Regional singles Round of 16 and finish 11-7 in the spring. This past fall Smith – son of USC head coach Peter Smith – attained a No. 34 singles ranking after reaching the region's championship match and was a Pac-12 honorable mention for recording a 17-6 singles mark. He is currently ranked 57th by the ITA, while Sheehy is No. 108.
Sheehy's senior year has been his most decorated by far. The 20-match winner and Arlington native won all three of the Southland Conference's most coveted prizes: Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference at No. 1 singles and Student-Athlete of the Year. He also went undefeated in conference play and enters Monday's match on a season-best nine-match winning streak. Sheehy's last defeat was a 6-2, 6-1 decision vs. 99th-ranked Lucas Poullain of No. 41 Florida State on March 13.
The loss to Poullain was preceded by a seven-match winning streak as all four of Sheehy's losses this spring have come against nationally ranked opposition from Oklahoma, Tulsa, Texas A&M and FSU.
"It feels good to face an opponent I've beaten before, but now it feels like there's more pressure on me to win, which isn't necessarily a bad thing," Sheehy added. "I've matured a lot since that match and been playing more consistently at a higher level. I now know what I need to do to win, or can at least look inside myself to play the game I want to."
Sheehy and Smith will play on Court 3 (not before 5 p.m. ET) and as such will have some of their match shown on Tennis Channel alongside five additional matches. Tennis Channel can be found on Suddenlink (Channel 45), Dish Network (400) and DirecTV (217).
Smith's USC team entered the NCAA team tournament with a No. 8 national ranking but was eliminated in the Sweet 16, 4-1, by ninth-ranked North Carolina back on May 11.
The winner of Sheehy vs. Smith will face either Florida's eighth-seeded Oliver Crawford or UCLA's 68th-ranked Govind Nanda on Tuesday. Crawford's Gators lost 4-3 to Smith's Trojans at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 15. Crawford lost his No.1 singles match to No. 56 Brandon Holt, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3) and No. 2 doubles contest, 6-4, to Smith and Daniel Cukierman.
"I remember (the match) well because it was my first match and win in Malibu," said Sheehy via phone in Florida. "He was a big, tall kid with a big serve and forehand and I did my best to outlast him on every point and put in as many returns as possible, but I have no idea what to expect this time … we've both come a long way in the last year and a half."
Sheehy won their match at Pepperdine University, 6-3, 7-6 (3), but Smith bounced back to reach the ITA Southwest Regional singles Round of 16 and finish 11-7 in the spring. This past fall Smith – son of USC head coach Peter Smith – attained a No. 34 singles ranking after reaching the region's championship match and was a Pac-12 honorable mention for recording a 17-6 singles mark. He is currently ranked 57th by the ITA, while Sheehy is No. 108.
Sheehy's senior year has been his most decorated by far. The 20-match winner and Arlington native won all three of the Southland Conference's most coveted prizes: Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference at No. 1 singles and Student-Athlete of the Year. He also went undefeated in conference play and enters Monday's match on a season-best nine-match winning streak. Sheehy's last defeat was a 6-2, 6-1 decision vs. 99th-ranked Lucas Poullain of No. 41 Florida State on March 13.
The loss to Poullain was preceded by a seven-match winning streak as all four of Sheehy's losses this spring have come against nationally ranked opposition from Oklahoma, Tulsa, Texas A&M and FSU.
"It feels good to face an opponent I've beaten before, but now it feels like there's more pressure on me to win, which isn't necessarily a bad thing," Sheehy added. "I've matured a lot since that match and been playing more consistently at a higher level. I now know what I need to do to win, or can at least look inside myself to play the game I want to."
Sheehy and Smith will play on Court 3 (not before 5 p.m. ET) and as such will have some of their match shown on Tennis Channel alongside five additional matches. Tennis Channel can be found on Suddenlink (Channel 45), Dish Network (400) and DirecTV (217).
Smith's USC team entered the NCAA team tournament with a No. 8 national ranking but was eliminated in the Sweet 16, 4-1, by ninth-ranked North Carolina back on May 11.
The winner of Sheehy vs. Smith will face either Florida's eighth-seeded Oliver Crawford or UCLA's 68th-ranked Govind Nanda on Tuesday. Crawford's Gators lost 4-3 to Smith's Trojans at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 15. Crawford lost his No.1 singles match to No. 56 Brandon Holt, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3) and No. 2 doubles contest, 6-4, to Smith and Daniel Cukierman.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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