Men's volleyball risks No. 1 ranking at home in the West Coast Classic

By Eric Cohen

The undefeated and No. 1-ranked men's volleyball team has a tough challenge this weekend in its last home tournament of the season, the West Coast Classic.

The Wildcats' competition consists of the five teams below them in the rankings - No. 2 Utah Valley State, No. 3 Indiana, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 6 Cal State Sacramento. Colorado, San Diego State and Utah - all Top 15 teams - are also playing in the Classic.

Head coach Steve Carlat said the weekend will provide a preview of the national tournament.

"It will be good to have a chance to play against this level of competition," he said. "We'll probably see a lot of these teams again at nationals. These are the best teams in the country right now."

The Wildcats begin the tournament Friday night at 7 at the Student Recreation Center.

Women's water polo begins season with win, 3 losses

By Eric Cohen

The Arizona women's water polo team opened its 2002 Southwest Conference schedule this weekend in Boulder, Colo.

The 2001 conference champion Wildcats lost their opener to last year's conference runner-up, Northern Arizona, 9-6.

The Wildcats were able to keep the game close despite playing without starter Edie Gobel, who sat out the second half of the game.

Arizona, again shorthanded with illnesses and absences, dropped games to Utah, 14-6, and the Air Force Academy, 15-12.

In their last game of the round-robin tournament, the Wildcats beat Colorado State, 15-1. Senior Stacy Mitchell - the reigning Southwest Conference Player of the Year - led the way with six goals.

Coach Jeff Whitmore was pleased with the overall results of the first

tournament.

"We lacked more than half our starters and still played at the same level

as two of the conference's leading teams: Air Force Academy and NAU," Whitmore said.

The Wildcats return to Golden, Colo., April 6-7 to conclude regular-season conference play.

Ultimate Frisbee places second in New Mexico tourney

By Eric Cohen

Arizona's Ultimate Frisbee team, the Sunburn, had an impressive showing last weekend at New Mexico's Green Chili Fest, though it fell just short of first place.

The Sunburn outscored its first six opponents 78-14 to earn a spot in

the championship game against Colorado School of Mines Team A.

CSM excelled in the high winds and freezing temperatures, winning the final game 13-9, but Arizona still has a lot to feel good about.

On Saturday, the Sunburn defeated Colorado College, the CSM Team B, New Mexico and Air Force.

In quarterfinal action on Sunday, Arizona defeated Colorado State, 13-2.

In the semifinals, the Sunburn beat the University of Colorado at Boulder Team B by the same score.

The Sunburn's younger players provided many of the tourney's highlights, including standout plays from freshman Federico Chialvo and sophomore Chris Pastore.

Coach Damon Circosta, a second-year law student, shares the confident attitude of his new recruits.

"When Sunburn Ultimate plays as a team, they are impossible to beat," he said.

At 22-5 with six games remaining, Arizona has already amassed its highest win total in program history. Circosta attributed the team's success to a deeper bench and a new offensive scheme.

The Sunburn now begin preparation for their sectional and regional tournaments. A first- or second-place finish at the regional tournament, which features three higher-ranked teams that the Sunburn have yet to face, would secure the team its first-ever nationals bid.

"We've played best against teams that are supposedly better than us," said sophomore team captain Kelly Swiryn. "We are happy to go into regionals as underdogs."

Women's lacrosse starts off slowly in San Luis Obispo

By Justin St.Germain

The UA women's lacrosse team won a non-conference game but dropped a pair of WWLL games this weekend in California.

The lone Wildcat victory - an 11-4 beating of Rhode Island on Sunday - followed two defeats at the hands of Western Women's Lacrosse League foe Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 17-5 and 13-6 on Saturday.

The losses dropped the team's record to 1-5 in the middle of conference play.

Junior team president Betsy Rodah said the rough weekend makes UA's upcoming games crucial.

"(The losses) mean we have to win from now on," she said. "It puts pressure on us to win the rest of our games."

Arizona does not play again until after spring break, when they face Loyola Marymount and Claremont University in Los Angeles.