ERIC M. JUKELEVICS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona sophomore Whi Kim hits a forehand earlier this season at the Robson Tennis Center. Kim looks to turn his season around this weekend when the Wildcats host the Bay Area schools.

Most college athletes, except the very few who make an impact as a freshman, have to work hard in order to move up the ladder and be considered a top player for their team.

The same has held true for sophomore tennis player Whi Kim.

As a freshman, Kim competed in the No. 4 position, but he moved up into the second position this season for the Wildcats.

Kim took advantage of moving up to the No. 2 slot, as he began the spring season by winning eight consecutive matches to lead the Arizona men's tennis team to a 6-2 record.

However, when a player is as hot as this sophomore was, it's hard to stay on top for so long.

Kim had a lot of success in non-conference matches, but once the Pacific 10 Conference season began, Kim and the Wildcats (8-9 overall, 1-6 Pac-10) faltered.

Kim has lost eight out of his last nine matches, with his lone win coming against non-conference opponent Loyola Marymount.

UA head coach Bill Wright said Kim has been playing well, but that competition in conference is difficult, and it is tough for anyone to earn a victory in a given match.

"Last year, Whi was playing at the number four position," Wright said. "This year he is our number two player and the competition is more difficult. That is the nature of the game. He has stepped up to play better players and it has been hard. Whi has not had an easy match in over a month and a half."

In his match against Washington last weekend, Kim lost 1-6, 7-6, 6-7.

The match saw Kim fight back from a frustrating first set to force a third-set tiebreaker, which Wright said showed Kim's will to never give up on the court.

"In his match against Washington, he was an underdog and he fought the entire match, but he came up just short," Wright said. "He was down on himself after the match, but the fact is that the competition is tough and it is not going to get any easier. It's like the (UA) football team: You can't compare its victory (last season) over San Diego State and its loss to Oregon. That would be like comparing apples and oranges. The same is true in tennis."

Kim said the past couple matches have been tough on himbut that he realizes that he still has a chance to turn it around this weekend.

"It is tough competing against anyone that is a number two on any team," Kim said. "I know that I have to play on a very high level. Last year, I had a lot of easy wins, but this year every match has been tough."

The Wildcats have struggled during Kim's losing streak, garnishing only two wins in their last eleven matches.

Wright said that the team has gone through the same struggles as Kim this season.

"When you lose, it hurts your confidence," Wright said. "It is hard to regain that confidence, and we have battled that this season. Every team has improved this season, and the competition is that much harder. As a coach, I try to keep things in perspective and measure our matches on improvement rather than on wins and losses."

However, their last win against Oregon marked the first Pac-10 win on the season, and the Wildcats look to improve on that this weekend as they conclude their home season against No. 22 California and sixth-ranked Stanford.

Kim said he is not about to throw in the towel on the season and plans to work even harder to turn his once-promising season around.

"It has been disappointing," Kim said. "I can either give up or continue to fight. I have two weeks left in the season to turn it around. I am not going to panic. I am just going to work hard and try to come away with a few victories."

With only Cal Poly and Arizona State remaining on UA's schedule after the weekend, the Wildcats have to finish the season strong in order to make a push at a second consecutive postseason appearance.

That could be much clearer after this weekend.

First serve is set for today at 1:30 p.m. in the Robson Tennis Center.