The No. 38 Arizona women’s tennis team is looking forward to the opportunity of defending its flawless record.
The Wildcats will match up against University of Houston tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., and No. 32 Florida International on Sunday at 10 a.m. Both matches will be held on the Robson Tennis Center courts.
This week’s frosty weather was a small hurdle for some of the girls in their preparation for the upcoming matches.
“”I don’t like playing in the cold,”” said Katie Orletsky. “”The wind is hard to adjust to sometimes, but it hasn’t been that big of a deal.””
The Wildcats don’t usually have practices on Monday as they usually use the allotted time for rest after tough weekend matches.
However, the team didn’t feel like they beat their opponents by enough so they made it a point to increase their practice level.
“”Since we barely beat Texas Tech and (San Diego), it’s been a little more intense,”” said Natalia Toporowska. “”We’re pushing ourselves a little more.””
Toporowska also said that when she plays teams of higher caliber, her level of play rises to her competition’s level.
Despite the amount of injuries, Orletsky said the Wildcats are ready to step up and face this weekend with confidence and poise.
“”I think this weekend should be tough, there will be some pretty good players,”” said Orletsky, “”but I think our team is ready for it.””
Men’s tennis preview
When the weather was toasty in the middle of January the weather seemed peculiar to the people who roam Tucson.
This week made up for the extra heat with its frosty nights and frigid windy days, but it may have come at a bad time for the Arizona men’s tennis team.
The cold weather kept the squad from practicing outdoors in its preparation for its road trips to No. 23 Rice today at 1:30 p.m. and No. 42 Texas A&M Corpus Christi tomorrow at 11 a.m.
“”It hurt us because we weren’t able to practice one day, but we were able to spend a little more time conditioning,”” said head coach Tad Berkowitz. “”It wasn’t a big deal though, the guys are fresh and ready to go now.””
No. 23 Rice today at 1:30 p.m., then No. 42 Texas A&M Corpus Christi tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Although the weather put a hinder on the team’s practice schedule, it could have been a blessing in disguise, allowing players time to rest and recuperate.
The Wildcats had some time to rest on the flight to Houston, but the stress put on the players by traveling may have a negative impact on the team.
Despite the disadvantages of playing an away match Berkowitz is very optimistic about this weekend.
“”It’s always tougher to do things on the road, but we’re going in with the attitude that we’re going to beat these teams,”” Berkowitz said. “”We have confidence in ourselves and confidence in each other.””
There will be stiff competition this weekend for the Wildcats, but so far the prospect of tough games hasn’t hindered Arizona, as they have gone thus far this season without suffering a loss.
“”Rice University is potentially a top-15 team,”” Goldman said. “”We’re all feeling good and looking forward to the challenge though.””
