After losing the first game of the season to Hawaii in what head coach Vicky Maes called “a mental breakdown and a wake-up call,” the Arizona women’s tennis team rebounded nicely by sweeping University of Texas at El Paso 7-0.

Every player scored a victory, dropping only a single set.

Maes said she believed that the team’s defeat in Hawaii was a blessing in disguise and that the team has learned greatly from it.

“It showed us that there are still things we needed to work on, mainly deuces play,” Maes said. “We played a lot of deuces games in practice and it showed out there today winning like we did and, bottom line, this is how we need to play for the rest of the season.”

The main takeaway from the match against UTEP was the performances of freshmen Sophia Thomas and Camila Wesbrooks. The two displayed their ability to deliver and not back down against a quality team in UTEP.

The real MVP of the match was junior Samantha Czarniak, who recorded her first win at home since transferring to the UA.

Czarniak has gradually become more comfortable with the team and school over time and has seen much improvement at Arizona so far.

“It was a tough start for me in the fall getting used to not only a new school, but also a new team and new coaches,” Czarniak said. “I’ve really seen my confidence grow, and I think that was something missing from my game in the fall and really just improving everything from doubles play, volleying and just being more aggressive has helped me a lot.”

The recent victory truly displays the potential this team has with a young talent.

Up next for the Wildcats is a home match Friday against a ranked Princeton team, which will be Arizona’s first match against a ranked team this season.

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