No. 45 Arizona women’s tennis finished its Pac-12 opening weekend undefeated, moving the Wildcats to 14-1 on the season and 3-0 for conference play.
“We’ve had a good season so far,” head coach Vicky Maes said in a press release. “We have been able to dominate some of these really solid teams. We have really come out in all positions … [and] knowing that we can win in every position has really made a big difference for us this year.”
The Wildcats defeated No. 40 Purdue 7-0 on Wednesday, No. 50 Washington State 4-1 on Friday and Oregon 4-0 on Saturday.
Arizona has taken the doubles point in six straight matches and is 13-0 when winning the doubles point this season. Leading the team is senior Kim Stubbe, whose record is 13-1 and who has been dominant all season. Stubbe is currently ranked No. 99 in singles, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“Kim is playing really well,” Maes said in a press release. “She is listening well, and she is striking the ball really well. She’s playing for the team.”
Meanwhile, the men’s team closed out its nonconference play with two wins and two losses, moving it to 11-8 on the season. The Wildcats lost to No. 29 Louisville 7-0 on March 10, defeated Utah State 4-3 on March 13, lost to Fresno State 4-3 on March 15 and routed Saint Mary’s (California) 6-1 on March 16.
“This was a great win for us,” head coach Tad Berkowitz said in a press release about the victory over Saint Mary’s. “It shows our maturity as team, to have a quick turnaround after a tough loss, to come out and beat a good Saint Mary’s team. It’s a great way to end our nonconference schedule and start our conference play.”
Sophomore Trevor James moved into the No. 6 spot for Arizona and has gone 2-2 in his last four matches.
“Trevor [James] is one of the hardest workers on our team, he started out the year not even traveling,” Berkowitz said in a press release. “We had a couple of things happen that pushed him into the lineup, and he is seizing the opportunity. He deserves it; I’m so proud watching him play because he wants it so bad.”
Up next, the women travel to California to face No. 4 Stanford on Friday and No. 16 California on Saturday. The men start conference play by hosting No. 17 California on Friday and No. 66 Stanford on Sunday at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.
—Follow Matt Wall @mwall20
