Last weekend, in the Arizona men’s tennis team’s match against No. 63 Nebraska, cramps slowed Jason Labrosse and kept him from being the hero.

Labrosse, a junior, refused to be denied yesterday in leading the No. 72 Wildcats (2-4) to a 4-3 upset win over No. 46 Louisiana Lafayette (2-3) in dramatic fashion after the squad lost 4-3 to No. 75 Santa Clara (4-4) Saturday at Robson Tennis Center.

Labrosse was in this same position last weekend when he suffered cramps throughout his body.

“”I couldn’t bend my legs,”” Labrosse said. “”A couple of times I fell on the ground and couldn’t get up. So (yesterday) I made sure I drank a lot of water and electrolytes.””

Cramps wouldn’t be a problem this time, as Labrosse dominated the third set 6-1 to seal the win for the Wildcats and break the team’s four-game losing streak.

“”I kind of knew, from hearing everyone cheering (on the other courts) that I probably had to win my match,”” Labrosse said. “”I felt that I was mentally stronger. After I won my serve at 5-2 (in the second set), I just stayed focused and grinded him out.””

After the Wildcats lost to Santa Clara, the team desperately needed this win to get its season on the right track before the tough Pacific 10 Conference season begins next week.

The match didn’t begin well for Arizona, as a missed call by the chair umpire in the No. 2 doubles match gave the Ragin’ Cajuns an 8-7 game advantage, which UA sophomore Peter Zimmer and freshman Milos Romic couldn’t get back. This loss, paired with a loss at the No. 3 doubles position, put the Wildcats down 1-0 heading into singles play.

In singles, Arizona picked up three quick wins, which meant it only needed to win one of it three remaining matches. After both Zimmer and junior Claudio Christen lost their matches, the teams were tied 3-3 with Labrosse beginning his third set at the No. 5 position.

With their four-game skid finally behind them, Arizona heads into Pac-10 play with some much-needed confidence.

“”We needed one (victory) to show everybody that our team can win,”” said freshman Alex Labrosse said. “”I’m excited for Pac-10 season. I think it’s going to be great.””

SUBHEAD: Women upset San Diego State on road

After going into this past weekend on a three-match skid, the No. 52 Arizona women’s tennis team reversed its fortunes and came out on a two-match winning streak.

The Wildcats (3-3) pulled out 4-3 wins over No. 58 San Diego (2-4) Saturday thanks and No. 46 San Diego State (3-4) Friday in part due to strong doubles play.

The Wildcats won four out of their six doubles matches played between the two schools and received both doubles points in each match. These points proved to be crucial as both matches were won by a single point.

“”Getting those doubles points have really been helpful for us,”” Arizona assistant coach Brian Ramirez said.

The Wildcats have gone 3-1 this year when they capture the doubles point. Being aware of this, the team has been playing around with the doubles lineups.

The most recent changes are the pairing of junior Camelia Todorova with sophomore Danielle Steinberg at the No. 2 position and junior Juliette Mavroleon and freshman Katie Orletsky together at the No 3 spot. Both matchups worked well this weekend, as the two pairs won all four of their doubles matches.

“”We did a good job of executing in the doubles this weekend,”” Steinberg said. “”I feel comfortable playing with Camelia. We played last year, so we kind of know each other, and Juliette and Katie are doing a great job at No. 3. So I think for now it’s good.””

Even after the pair of victories the Wildcats are still concerned with their difficulty in closing out matches. An example of this came in freshman Natalia Toporowska’s No. 4 singles match. After winning the first set and gaining a 5-1 advantage in the second, San Diego State’s Esther Cadua mounted a comeback and ended up winning the match in a 10-point, super tiebreaker for the third set.

“”The girls are getting themselves in great position to win matches and then not closing them out,”” Ramirez said. “”We have to continue (getting in the right position) but just take it one step further. If we can take advantage of one opportunity here and there, we’ll be right where we need to be.””