Men’s tennis hopes to take down Sun Devils

The No. 62 Arizona men’s tennis team hosts its in-state rivals for the first time this season, taking on the No. 54 Sun Devils tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Robson Tennis Center.

“”It’s a big rivalry, so we are going to be ready for the match,”” said sophomore Bruno Alcala.

The Wildcats (8-5, 0-4) enter the weekend after a win against Portland last week, while the Sun Devils (6-8, 1-3) find themselves in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

“”It was good we got a match under our belt,”” said Arizona head coach Tad Berkowitz, whose team had previously lost five of six matches. “”It was good for the guys to stay fresh and stay match prepared, which will help us going into the match.””

The team was scheduled to play two matches last weekend, but the match against No. 72 San Diego State got rained out.

Women’s tennis treks north for rivalry showdown

After a week off from competition, the No. 25 women’s tennis team will be well-rested for its match at No. 17 ASU tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Tempe.

“”You always want to beat ASU because they are our main rival,”” Arizona head coach Vicky Maes said.

The Wildcats (10-5, 1-4 Pacific 10 Conference) are coming off an upset of then-No. 24 Oregon on March 10.

“”It was good to get our energy back,”” Maes said. “”We were able to rest some injuries and refocus.””

Arizona hopes that the momentum from that match will carry into this upcoming weekend’s challenge at ASU (9-4, 1-4).

“”The girls did an excellent job coming off the loss to (No. 42) Penn,”” Maes said. “”The team’s doing good.””

Rugby to close out season against ASU

Although the Arizona men’s club rugby team endured a season filled with twists, turns, ups, downs and injuries, it still has one more opportunity to emerge with a winning record on tomorrow in Tempe, when the Ruggers attempting to continue their dominance in the one-sided rivalry with ASU.

In a year that featured such historic events as the first ever Pac-10 Conference Rugby Tournament and Arizona head coach Dave Sitton being named the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year, the Wildcats (6-6, 2-4 SoCal Conference) have been a bit inconsistent.

One constant in the team’s history involves beating ASU (7-4, 4-3), as the Ruggers have won the last 30 meetings and overall boast a 42-12-1 record against their in-state rivals.

“”We know ASU is a much improved team, and we know that they would be very pleased to close out their season with a win over Arizona,”” Sitton said.ÿ “”We’ll have our hands full, and we better be ready to play.””

Laxcats have tough slate of games in Michigan Invitational

The No. 15 Arizona club lacrosse team could help its at-large bid chances this weekend as the Laxcats hope to score their first three-game sweep and a tournament victory at the Michigan Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Like every year, the Michigan Invitational invited some of the best teams in the league and will have major implications on the national championships in May.

The Laxcats (5-2) are looking to make a statement over the weekend when they face No. 3 Michigan (4-3) tonight, No. 24 Boston College (0-2) tomorrow and No. 10 Lindenwood (7-0) on Sunday.

“”To get into the national championships you must win the conference,”” Arizona head coach Kenny Broschart said. “”If we don’t win it, this weekend will help us get an at-large bid if we perform well.””

Arizona senior attackman Steve Luna said this road trip is crucial to the team’s season and overall morale.

“”This is a chance at proving we belong with the best,”” Luna said. “”This is a chance to prove that we are one of the best teams in the league.””

The Laxcats have taken two three-game road trips this year and have come one game short from the sweep in both.

Men’s golf to compete in National Invitational

The No. 23 Arizona men’s golf team will have a home-course advantage in the upcoming National Invitational teeing off at the Tucson National Golf Course Sunday through Tuesday.

Because it is a home event, every player will play as the Wildcats will form ‘A’ and ‘B’ squads for the tournament. The home-course advantage should help the Wildcats after the break, when they had their worst tournament of the season in Las Vegas’ Southern Highlands Collegiate.

“”We are coming off a bad tourney in Vegas, but a good last round in Texas,”” Arizona assistant coach John Knauer said of the Hall of Fame Invitational. “”We are hoping things will take a turn for the better.””

The tournament will be set up like a professional event to give the players a taste of what they could move on to in the future, Knauer said.

He said he thinks the Wildcats will play well, citing their performance in Texas over spring break, where the team finished in a sixth-place tie, just ahead of No. 1 Georgia.

“”Now it’s kind of a protect-your-house mentality,”” he said.