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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Arizona men’s tennis kicks off spring campaign

Tennis+athlete+Oliver+Plaskett+returns+the+ball+in+a+volley.+Photo+Courtesy+of+Arizona+Athletics.

Tennis athlete Oliver Plaskett returns the ball in a volley. Photo Courtesy of Arizona Athletics.

The Arizona Wildcats men’s tennis team will kick off the new year by traveling to Lubbock, Texas, to compete in a tournament with Texas Tech, New Mexico and Pacific. The tournament is unique in terms of format as the Wildcats will play doubleheaders on each day of the event.

The Wildcats will face Texas Tech and New Mexico on the first day, followed by Pacific and New Mexico on the second day, and Texas Tech and Pacific on the final day.

Head coach Tad Berkowitz admitted that the tournament will be strenuous on his team, but he believes it will ultimately help them build momentum heading into the spring.

“It’s going to be a grind for the guys. It’s a lot of matches in a short amount of time,” Berkowitz told arizonawildcats.com. “But it was a way that I feel our guys can really get rolling from the beginning.”

Despite the physical demands of the tournament, Berkowitz noted the advantages his team will have on other programs across the nation.

“At the end of the weekend, we’re going to have six matches under our belt and a lot of teams throughout the country may have not even started their duel match season yet,” Berkowitz said.

The Wildcats ended 2015 on a high note in November when senior Naoki Takeda won the Jack Kramer Club Classic in Los Angeles,while other members of the team played well in the Dickie V Clay Court Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Berkowitz was pleased with his team’s performance in the fall and is happy with the chemistry they developed during the fall season.

“This group has really gelled well together,” Berkowitz said. “Everyone’s really starting to come together as a team which is exactly what we’re looking for heading into the spring.”


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