Eight Wildcats will be representing the Arizona men’s tennis team at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association West Regional Tournament in Malibu, Calif.
Competing for the Wildcats this weekend will be seniors Andres Arango, Ravid Hazi and Pat Metham; juniors Andres Carrasco and Geoff Embry; and sophomore Jason Zafiros.
Zafiros will be playing his first match since the prestigious ITA All-American Championships last week in Tulsa, Okla., where he went 1-1. In Malibu, Zafiros hopes to play deeper in the tournament where he can match up against the best competition.
“”I didn’t get as many matches as I wanted to in Tulsa. My goal this weekend is to get as deep into the draw as possible,”” Zafiros said. “”I feel like I’m playing great tennis right now so I’m looking to get some wins this weekend so that I have more confidence going forward.””
Zafiros’ attitude is mirrored in those of his teammates and coach. As the tennis squad inches closer to the start of team play in the spring, these tournaments serve as opportunities for players to fine-tune their games.
Head coach Tad Berkowitz explained that this weekend’s tournament has some of the top tennis programs with players in competition, including Pacific 10 Conference rival and defending national champion USC.
“”We’re in one of the toughest regions in the country,”” Berkowitz said.
“”You obviously have USC and the host Pepperdine is always tough,”” he added. “”We’ll see what we got. It’s a good test for our guys to see where we match up.””
All players at the event are in one main draw, with matches beginning today and continuing through Sunday.
W-tennis focuses on planning
With no matches this weekend, the Arizona women’s tennis team will work to stay sharp at practices in preparation for next week’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association West Regionals.
A two-week hiatus from matches has head coach Vicky Maes looking for ways to keep the team playing at the highest level.
“”This week, the team focused on consistency and confidence,”” Maes said. “”Though our results have been quite good so far this fall, some of the girls are struggling with executing their game plans in matches.””
The Wildcats have played representative tennis against good talent this fall, including sophomore Natasha Marks, who won three matches last week at the All-American Championships in Los Angeles.
Stotland notices the team’s positive attitude as they strive to get better, which will hopefully result in success at next week’s tournament.
“”I know all of the girls are excited for it and are ready for it right now,”” he said. “”But in the meantime, they are enjoying their preparation for it.””
“”We want each and every person to do exceptionally well,”” Stotland added.
