Daily Tournament Results
This Weekend: Arizona travels to Ojai, Calif. for the 100th Annual Ojai
Valley Tennis Tournament this weekend, April 27-30. The Wildcats will be
squaring off against its eight conference foes in singles and doubles
action. Four UA players earned berths in the singles main draw of the
tournament, senior Vanessa Abel, junior Michelle Gough, sophomore Lindsay
Blau, and freshman Uzma Khan. The duos of Gough/ Blau and Abel/Khan earned
spots in the doubles main draw.
For complete tournament results visit the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament web
site at www.ojaitourney.com.
The Wildcats are 8-11 against ranked opponents this year.
The Lineup:
Name Yr. Hometown
Lindsay Blau So. Ossining, New York
Vanessa Abel Sr. Tucson, Arizona
Uzma Kahn Fr. Hyderabad, India
Michelle Gough Jr. Johannesburg, South Africa
Laresa Marino So. San Diego, California
Joanna Buczkowska Jr. Zakopane, Poland
Siri Fomsgaard Fr. Copenhagen, Denmark
Brooke Taylor So. Newport Beach, California
Last Weekend: The Wildcats finished their regular season falling to
in-state Arizona State, 8-1, last Saturday. With the win, the Sun Devils
have captured the last five matches against Arizona dating back to the 1998
campaign. UA logged its lone point in the contest at the No. 5 singles spot
where sophomore Laresa Marino topped ASU's Mhairi Brown, 6-3, 6-0.
Movin' on up: UA compiled a 9-11 record this season improving on last
year's 8-14 mark. Its 3-5 conference record earned them a sixth place
finish. Three singles and two doubles teams have been ranked throughout
the season. The Wildcats were ranked in the top 25, 10 out of the 13 weeks
this season.
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 slipped one spot to 21st in the country in
the April 26 edition of the WingspanBank.com and Bob Larson Coaches' polls.
The sixth individual singles and doubles rankings of the season were
released April 26. Sophomore Lindsay Blau vaulted 20 spots to 53rd after
enjoying a three-match win streak that culminated in a win over
Washingotn's No. 1-ranked Kristina Kraszewski, 6-3, 6-3. Blau and doubles
partner junior Michelle Gough moved up a place to ninth with a 24-11 mark.
The Region VIII fall doubles title and runner-up at the Indoor
Championships highlight their year. Gough and Blau are 4-3 against top 25
opponents this year. Uzma Khan jumped five spots to a tie for 83rd with
Texas-El Paso's Tanja Magoc. An upset win over then top-ranked Zuzana
Lesenarova in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, highlights her season to date.
Junior Michelle Gough dropped out of the polls for the first time this
season. Gough's enjoyed her highest ranking of the year in the March 15
rankings when she was 59th after upsetting then third-ranked Kataryna
Valkyova of San Diego , 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 15th team rankings of the year
will be released May 3. The seventh installment of the singles and doubles
rankings will be available. 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.
