This Weekend: The No. 21 Wildcats (6-1, 1-1 in Pac-10) return to conference
play this weekend when they travel up to the Pacific Northwest to take on
the No. 41 Oregon Ducks. The Ducks (2-4, 0-4 in Pac-10) will play host to
Arizona State on Saturday before welcoming in the Cats on Sunday. Oregon
will be seeking to snap it's two-match losing streak after dropping last
weekend's matches to UCLA and USC. The Ducks fell to UCLA, 5-4, on the
final doubles match of the day and dropped its match with USC, 7-2. In
it's Pac-10 weekend openers, Arizona split its matches with the Southern
California school upsetting No. 8 UCLA, 5-4, and losing to No. 12 USC, 9-0.
OU is lead by the lone senior on the team, Alina Wygonowska. Wygonowska,
ranked No. 61, has gotten off to a slow start this season (2-4) but did
notch an impressive victory over USC's Kara Warkentin last weekend.
The Lineup:
Name Yr. Hometown
Uzma Kahn Fr. Hyderabad, India
Lindsay Blau So. Ossining, New York
Michelle Gough Jr. Johannesburg, South Africa
Vanessa Abel Sr. Tucson, Arizona
Laresa Marino So. San Diego, California
Joanna Buczkowska Jr. Zakopane, Poland
Brooke Taylor So. Newport Beach, California
Last Weekend:
The Wildcats continued their undefeated record against
non-conference opponents this year with a 9-0 victory Friday over Texas
Tech. The Cats have two out of conference matches remaining, No. 32
Marquette and No. 9 Texas in their quest for the school's first undefeated
record against non-conference foes since 1996 when they went 9-0.
Home Sweet Home:
Arizona is off to one of its best starts in school history
(6-1) after seven home matches. With a win this weekend against Oregon, UA
would equal the 7-1 start of the No. 8-ranked 95 team. That team won its
first seven matches before dropping a home match to No. 3 Stanford, 7-2.
Coach's Corner:
"We are looking forward to getting back to Pac-10 play. The girls are
working really hard and are making continual improvements. As a coaching
staff, that's all we can ask for."
"This is our first road trip of the year and I'm anxious to see how we play
in a different environment. We've exceeded our expectations at home and it
will be key to keep the momentum going on the road."
Last Season:
Arizona finished the season with an overall record of 8-14
placing them sixth in the Pac-10 Conference. The Wildcats advanced to the
second round of the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by top-ranked
Florida.
Cats in the Polls:
After beginning the season with a 5-1 record, the
Wildcats remained tied with Kentucky in the Feb. 9 WingspanBank.com
rankings and are No. 19 in the Feb. 7 edition of the Bob Larson Coaches
Poll. The first singles and doubles
rankings will be released Feb. 16.The third team rankings of the year will
be released Feb. 16. For a complete list of rankings, visit the ITA website
at www.ITAtennis.com
Head Coach:
Brad Dancer is in his first year as head coach at Arizona
replacing Stephanie London. Dancer played No. 1 singles and doubles at
Michigan State, graduating with a degree in
business in 1993. In his time at Michigan State, Dancer was a four-time
Academic All-Big Ten member and was selected to the All-Big Ten team his
senior year. Dancer's professional coaching highlights include serving as
an assistant for the 1996 Fed Cup team.
Assistant Coaches:
Kevin Epley and Vicky Maes round out the coaching staff
for the Wildcats this season. Epley comes to Arizona after serving as an
assistant last year at Alabama. In addition to his duties at Arizona, Epley
is involved in coaching at the professional tennis level including serving
as an assistant for the Fed Cup team under head coach Billie Jean King.
Maes, a four-time tennis All-American, returns to her alma mater as a
volunteer assistant. Maes graduated from Arizona in 98 but not before
becoming the most decorated player in the program's history. Maes was a
two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, a GTE All-American, and was selected to
the Pac-10 All-Decade team.
