The University of Arizona athletics teams are catching their stride at the right time as the spring season pushes on. The No. 9 men’s tennis team has excelled after a loss early on in the season, the team has surged, grabbing huge wins over top-10 opponents. On the other hand, softball and baseball seasons have just begun. The No. 10 Arizona softball team has been lighting it up so far in its matchups, led by stellar performances from two-way player Devyn Netz.
Team: No. 9 Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team has found its speed after losing 4-3 to the University of Central Florida back on Jan. 26 during the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Since then, the Wildcats have been electric, winning six consecutive games, with two coming against top-25 opponents. In Arizona’s recent outing, beating the No. 7 University of San Diego 4-0 on Feb. 21 proved their skill and strength when battling some of the toughest opponents in the nation.
Both the doubles and singles matches against San Diego positioned Arizona to face top competitors, such as the No. 1 team in the nation, Stian Klaassen and Oliver Tarvet and the No. 4 player in the nation, Tarvet. During the doubles matchup, Inaki Cabrera-Bello and Colton Smith were put against the No. 1 duo, however, they did nothing but excel. Cabrera-Bello and Smith dominated the court as they beat down Klaassen and Tarvet 6-2.
The duo of Cabrera-Bello and Smith has been stunning as, upon this major victory, they have won three straight doubles outings and have gone 4-1 to start the season.
Singles proved in Arizona’s favor, as the Wildcats would sweep courts 1, 2 and 6 with clear dominance, winning all within two sets. Smith dominated early on court 1 against No. 4 Travet, going 4-1 before Tarvet exited the match for a medical emergency. Arizona continued to go on a roll, securing the sweeping victories on courts 2 and 6, sealing the game for the Wildcats.
The team continues its success after cruising through its Diablo Invitational in Tempe from Friday, Feb. 28, to Saturday, March 1. Smith, Friend and the remaining Wildcats kept their momentum to push towards the 4-3 and 4-0 win against the University of Washington and ASU.
Arizona men’s tennis returns to Tucson to continue its season as the Wildcats prepare to take on St. John’s University on Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.
Player: Devyn Netz – No. 10 Softball
Arizona softball has been successful as of late with its 5-1 record in the Hillenbrand Invitational to the nail-biting finish against Loyola Marymount University. The Wildcats seem to have found their niche and have sent the team flying. This couldn’t be seen better than in the crucial efforts Devyn Netz has done for the Wildcats.
Coming off of being named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week to pitching no-hit innings and launching massive home runs out of the park, Netz has been there for the Wildcats when they have needed her talents the most.
Netz performed at her highest in the final game of the Hillenbrand Invitational against No. 20 Stanford University and the Wildcats’ one-off against LMU. The game against Stanford showcased Netz’s ability to crush the ball. Netz completed the game securing a two-home run game with a total of 4 RBIs.
Netz’s success didn’t end there as she put together a pitching clinic against LMU, having a successful outing in securing her seventh win on the season. Netz pitched 3.1 innings to close out the game with 3 hits, zero runs, 4 strikeouts and one walk.
Netz also aided the team as the Wildcats completed the Judi Garman Classic from Friday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, Mar. 2 in Fullerton, Calif. In the Wildcats’ final game to close out the series against No. 23 San Diego State University, Netz helped lead Arizona, collecting 3 hits and 1 run.
The softball team looks to continue its winning ways heading into a three-series match against the University of Central Florida from Friday, March 7 to Sunday, March 9 at Hillenbrand Stadium.
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