The ASU men's tennis team is using a loss against the University of Arizona as a way to get ready for postseason matches.
ASU took a hard 5-2 fall to UA, but head coach Lou Belken said he feels that the match wasn't a loss at all.
"Obviously when you lose it is disappointing. We have a saying, 'you need to turn every loss into a win and every win makes you better,'" Belken said. "There was much to take away from Saturday that can be critical for postseason. Mistakes were made [and] identified, and to be successful [they need to be] corrected in the future."
The Sun Devils lost the doubles point, although junior Chris Stewart and freshman Chris Letcher did take one of the matches.
In singles, senior Pim Van Mele and junior Olivier Charroin both won their singles matches. Stewart lost in a hard three-set battle against the Wildcat's Paul Warkentin.
Belken said he feels that the Sun Devils need to put the season behind them and focus on what is coming up.
"The first part of the season is over and the initial goal of making the NCAA tournament will be accomplished," Belken said. "We improved dramatically and change is needed to improve even more.
The team is looking for a fresh start in the postseason tournament.
"The tournament is another start and there are three weeks to prepare for the first match," Belken said. "We will evaluate individual performances at the end of the season and are now concentrating on developing as a group."
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Reach the reporter at kelley.karnes@asu.edu.
