By
Lindsey Manroel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Marino stepping up in young season
The Arizona women's tennis team was not represented in the ITA Clay Court Championships held in Baltimore this past weekend.
UA junior Lindsay Blau, the only Wildcat scheduled to appear in the tournament, was forced to pull out with a knee injury.
Blau has battled swelling in her right knee - a recurring injury that has dogged her lately - and is virtually incapable of moving laterally.
"It's still pretty swollen," Blau said. "The [decision to sit out] was generally reached by both the coaches and trainers."
Blau has been receiving cortisone shots and has been undergoing physical training everyday in order to prepare for the upcoming season.
Blau, the Wildcats' premier returnee, will enter the 2000-01 season ranked third in the nation in doubles - alongside senior doubles partner Michelle Gough - and 46th nationally in singles.
The duo of Gough and Blau enjoyed one of the greatest doubles seasons in Wildcat history in 1999, earning Pac-10 doubles titles and the Region VII doubles title. The duo will look to repeat their success again this season.
"In doubles, we're going to be awesome," Blau said. "We're going to do some damage."
The Wildcats opened their season Sept. 15 at the William and Mary Invitational, which hosted Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Pennsylvania, UA and the tournament's hosts, William and Mary.
In the tournament, junior Laresa Marino defeated UNC's Courtney Zalinsky, 6-1, 6-1, to advance to the tournament's final round. In the finals, the San Diego, Calif.-native was defeated by UNC's Amy Hill, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
"I was extremely pleased with her performance. She just continues to improve," UA head coach Brad Dancer said. "She seems to be starting off where she ended last year."
Marino's success, however, was fleeting.
The junior sprained her ankle in a local tournament this past weekend - coaches are unsure whether she will be able to compete in the ASU Tournament Oct. 6.
Freshman Perrine Pernin also had an impressive showing, although she fell to Wake Forest's Aimee Smith, 6-4, 6-3 in the Mary Flight Fourth Round.
"She had a difficult start. I think she's going to be a great player for us. She's working incredibly hard - she's really driven. Overall, she's going to be a great player for Arizona over the years," Dancer said.
The 2000 season should be rewarding for the Wildcats as long as they meet two of Dancer's goals: to stay healthy and for each girl to improve.
"I hear the girls talk about a top-10 finish. We want to finish as one of the top-10 schools in the country," Dancer said. "For us to finish in the top 10, we'll need all of our players and each player to get better - then being in the top 10 becomes a realistic goal."
