By
David Stevenson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Hot team surges nineteen spots in rankings
The UA men's tennis team enters the weekend leaping 19 places in the National Rankings. Following an upset of No. 30 California last weekend, the No. 48 Wildcats are taking advantage of their newfound success.
"This result shows how good we are," assistant coach Bob Helmig said. "The guys have worked very hard and stayed with each other all season."
Eighth-ranked Washington comes to Tucson tomorrow in the midst of a 10-match winning streak. The Huskies boast wins over ranked opponents like No. 8 Florida, No. 29 Arkansas and No. 68 Oregon. Last Saturday, UW whipped Loyola Marymount, 7-0.
"In the early part of the season, they hosted a lot of teams and have exceptional wins," Helmig said.
Senior Jeremy Berman - the No. 1 singles player for Washington - is in the midst of an 11-match winning streak, boasting a 21-5 record on the season. He is also second on UW's all-time career-win list with 87.
Helmig said the Wildcats are hoping the outdoor playing conditions at the Robson Tennis Center are a far cry from the indoor matches UW trained on during the rainy season.
"I'm hoping it'll be hot," Helmig said.
Saturday, Arizona (10-6, 1-5) will take on Oregon. The Ducks (8-9, 0-3) have a poor history against UA, having won only one match since 1995.
Helmig was quick to point out that Oregon's youth could prove to be dangerous.
"They have a pretty new team, with only their one- and three-position in their lineup returning," Helmig said.
Captain Oded Teig will be in the No. 1 position. Last fall, the sophomore reached the Sweet Sixteen of the International Tennis Association Finals.
Too bad his superior playing hasn't rubbed off of on UO.
Last weekend, No. 10 Southern Alabama hammered the Ducks, 7-0.
Helmig said UA can't afford to look past the Ducks, regardless of what their record is.
"Its important to focus on Washington, but we won't overlook Oregon," he said. "We're taking (Saturday's match) very seriously so we can keep our ranking up where it is."
Rank teams often have ranked players. Wins this weekend would provide the Arizona lineup an opportunity to crack into the singles rankings.
Junior Steve Capriati defeated No. 25 John Paul Fruttero, from Cal, last weekend. Freshman Carl Hagman beat No. 66 Adrian Barnes and Stanford's No. 23 David Martin. With these wins, the two are close to getting into the polls.
"All the guys are looking forward to the opportunity of getting into the poll rankings," Helmig said.
