This Weekend: Arizona (9-8, 3-2 in Pac-10) looks to extend its two-match
winning streak as it travels to Northern California to face top-ranked
Stanford (20-0, 3-0 in Pac-10) and eighth-ranked California (14-4, 3-0 in
Pac-10). Both teams are coming off a weekend where they swept matches with
USC and UCLA.
The Wildcats head to Stanford on Friday where they will go up against a
Cardinal team that boasts a 36-match dual match winning streak that began
since Feb. 27, 1999, against Arizona. The span pails in comparison to the
program's longest win streak of 76 running from 88 thru 90. Stanford
is led by freshman Laura Granville who is a perfect 14-0 on the spring
season and is ranked 85th in the world. The Cardinal hold down six singles
and four doubles spots in the latest edition of the WingspanBank.com
rankings: Laura Granville (No. 2); Marissa Irvin (No. 3); Lauren Kalvaria
(No. 7); Keiko Tokuda (No. 40); Teryn Ashley (No. 55); Gabriela Lastra (No.
74); Ashley /Irvin (No. 5); Granville/Tokuda (No. 7); Ashley/Granville (No.
27); and Lastra/Kalvaria (No. 31). UA dropped the first meeting of the
season to Stanford, 9-0, in Tucson.
The Golden Bears enter this week with a two-match winning streak.
California is led by Amy Jensen who is ranked 17th. Jensen is also apart
of the third-ranked doubles team with teammate Claire Curran. Other ranked
players include Anita Kurimay (No. 35), Claire Curran (No. 60), and the
doubles team of Karoline Borgersen and Kurimay (No. 6).The Wildcats fell to
the Golden Bears in their first meeting, 7-2, in Tucson. Cal owns a 31-10
all-time advantage over Arizona.
The Wildcats are 8-8 against ranked opponents this year.
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
Siri Fomsgaard Fr. Copenhagen, Denmark
Last Weekend: The Wildcats swept the weekend series from the Washington
schools defeating Washington and Washington State each by a 7-2 score.
Arizona sophomore Lindsay Blau logged two victories at the top singles spot
including an upset win over No. 1-ranked Kristina Kraszweski of Washington,
6-3, 6-3. The victory marked the second time this season that UA has
knocked off the top-ranked singles player in the country. Junior Michelle
Gough's, 6-3, 7-5, triumph over Zuzana Lesenarova at the UA Invitationalon
Jan. 22 was the first occasion. Senior Vanessa Abel went undefeated on the
weekend at the No. 2 position, also marking the first time she had played
at the spot. Abel's weekend was highlighted by a victory over Washington's
Ilona Kordonskaya in a three-hour match, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Doubles play
continued to be a strength for the Wildcats as UA captured five of the six
matches this weekend. Arizona continued its unblemished mark against
Washington and Washington State having gone a combined 24-0 all-time
against the two schools.
Coach's Corner: "Last weekend was a big weekend. Several players stepped
up, and that is a good sign as the season is winding down.
"Lindsay Blau played phenomenal tennis. She defeated the No.1 player in the
country (Kristina Kraszweski) and is starting to play at the level she is
capable of playing at.
"Vanessa Abel showed that she is capable of playing at the No. 2 position,
winning both of her matches. Vanessa's had a rough Pac-10 season, and it is
great to see her regaining her confidence.
"This weekend will be a huge test for us in Stanford and Cal. Playing
Stanford will be a great barometer to where this program needs to be. In
the first meeting, Cal had some key players out with injuries so it will be
interesting to see how we measure up against the Golden Bears when they are
at full strength.
"If we continue to improve in the final three matches of the season and
build off of last weekend's effort, then I think we will situate ourselves
for a solid postseason run."
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: The Wildcats maintained their 20th spot in the country
in the April 5 edition of the WingspanBank.com rankings. The ranking was
the highest for the Wildcats all season. UA jumped to 17th in the April 11
edition of Bob Larsen Coaches Poll. The fourth individual singles and
doubles rankings of the season were released March 29, and junior Michelle
Gough earned a No. 91 ranking for a 13-13 record that includes a victory
against then third-ranked Kaaryna Valkyova of San Diego , 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Gough and doubles partner sophomore Lindsay Blau dropped a spot to No. 4
with their 23-8 record. The Region VIII fall doubles title and runner-up at
the Indoor Championships highlight their year. Gough and Blau are 4-2
against top 25 opponents this year. Uzma Khan fell to the 86th spot for
her 16-11 record after rising to No. 49. An upset win over then top-ranked
Zuzana Lesenarova in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, highlights her season to
date. The 11th team rankings of the year will be released April 12. The
fifth installment of the singles and doubles rankings will be available
April 12. 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 Coach: Kevin 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 joins C.A.T.S. staff: Volunteer Assistant Vicky Maes stepped down as
volunteer assistant tennis coach this past week. The move was prompted by
her hiring in the C.A.T.S. office. Maes, a four-time tennis All-American,
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.
