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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Preview: Season-defining weekend for Arizona tennis

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Sean Gundu
Arizona’s Talya Zandberg prepares to hit the ball back to her opponent during a match vs The University of Houston on Feb. 11, at the Robson Tennis Center, in Tucson, Ariz.

Men’s tennis

After returning from two road trips in just as many weeks, where they went 1-3, the Arizona men’s tennis players return to friendly confines this weekend to take on NAU and University of Nebraska in a Saturday double-header at the Robson Tennis Center.

Arizona’s men’s tennis captains Jonas Maier and Alejandro Reguant look to lead the way and get the Wildcats back on track after dropping three of four matches on the road in Indiana and Iowa.

The regroup is vital since they have two upcoming tournaments. Arizona, currently 6-4, could see its season slip away before it even really starts if this weekend doesn’t go as planned. 

The Wildcats need to build momentum before Pac-12 play on March 9, which is loaded with some of the top tennis programs, if they want to continue to build on the culture change that seems to be taking place.

The match against a 1-2 NAU squad should be exactly what the ‘Cats need to get their mojo back. The Lumberjacks haven’t played a competitive match in what will be two weeks and will be looking to get rid of some rust against Arizona. 

Nebraska, on the other hand, comes into Tucson undefeated after six matches and looks to keep it that way. Having dropped just one match point in the last six matches, the Huskers look to bring their incredible depth to the Robson Center and send Arizona back out on the road with its first home loss.

The men’s team’s match against NAU will start at 9 a.m., and the match against Nebraska will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Robson Tennis Center in Tucson.

Women’s tennis

The women’s team heads out on the road for the first time this year, rolling into Las Vegas this weekend to take on UNLV and Wisconsin on Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17. The team looks to build on the strong 6-1 record established over the past three weekends.

UNLV hasn’t lost a single home matchup this year and look to host the Wildcats and improve against another regional rival. Wisconsin flies into the desert with an identical record as UNLV but packs an undefeated 2-0 record on the road as well. The veteran Wisconsin squad looks to use its experience to take two more crucial road wins back to Madison.

The ‘Cats will be looking for their leader, senior Devin Chypyha, to bounce back from a rough weekend against Nevada and Houston, in which she dropped both singles matches. 

Meanwhile, freshman duo Mary Lewis and Talya Zandberg look to continue to power the Wildcats through their youthful exuberance, as the Wildcats look to win crucial points in the middle of their rotation. 

The women’s team will take on UNLV at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, and Wisconsin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Las Vegas. 


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