The Arizona women’s tennis team has started out the 2008 season successfully due to strong freshmen players and their strategy of using a rotation to their advantage.

This weekend, three women from the team will be going to Berkeley, Calif., to take part in the Cal Nike Invitational in an effort to try and maintain the positive momentum. Other teams competing in the tournament are ASU, BYU, Fresno State, Minnesota, Nevada and Santa Clara.

“”We only send a few girls each weekend,”” said head coach Vicky Maes. “”Last weekend we sent three girls to New Mexico and this weekend we will send three (different girls) to California.

“”It allows the players to deal with school and tennis and rest, so they get some down time and we can focus on each player’s game.””

Last weekend freshman Deborah Castany went 4-0 at the New Mexico State Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M. Maes hopes freshmen Sarah Landsman, who is ranked in the Tennis Recruiting Network top 50, and Natasha Marks will be as successful as Castany. Junior Ariane Masschelein will also be going as a sub for Natalia Toporowska who is unable to compete due to injury, coaches said. Coaches hope this weekend’s tournament will give them a better barometer to measure their team after seeing more than just three players in action this weekend.

“”We need to see the girls, especially the freshmen, in pressure situations,”” Maes said. “”They’ve played matches against each other, but we need to see them in situations where they’re playing for real and getting to know their competition.””

Maes also said she feels good about the three players traveling due to the intense preparation they have been enduring.

“”The kids are good and solid. . . . They are well-prepared and have been playing tennis for a long time,”” Maes said. “”We’ve been conditioning 3-4 hours a day for the past month, so we all feel positive.””

Although the head coach will not be going to the competition, assistant coach Ryan Stotland will be traveling with the girls to oversee their performance. Maes is confident that the team’s intense, consistent practicing will pay off this weekend, despite having an entirely different squad out on the courts.

“”I have confidence in them and we’re excited to see how they perform under pressure,”” Maes said.