No. 7 Huskies, No. 2 Bruins hit Hillenbrand

Softball titans collide this weekend as top-ranked Arizona seeks payback when it hosts Washington and rival UCLA.

The Wildcats (36-1) host the No. 7 Huskies (24-7), the only NCAA team to beat them, tonight at 7. Tomorrow and Sunday's matchups will be between the winners of 13 of the last 16 national championships when the No. 2 Bruins (27-1) come to town. Those games are at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. [Read article]

With trips to Baylor, Long Beach State and Round Rock, Texas under its belt, the Arizona baseball team is a little less intimidated by its first Pac-10 road trip.

"If we hadn't been in a few tough places prior to this, I'd probably be a little more concerned," head coach Andy Lopez said. "You have to play well no matter where you go."

The Wildcats (13-11-1, 2-1 Pacific 10 Conference) travel to Corvallis, Ore., this weekend to play their first road series of the conference season against Oregon State (16-7, 2-1). Arizona plays the Beavers today at 6 p.m. and tomorrow and Sunday at noon. All games will be played at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. [Read article]

The Arizona gymnastics team will play host to five collegiate teams for the NCAA South Central Regional Championships tomorrow at 6 p.m. in McKale Center.

No. 5 Utah, No. 8 Florida, No. 25 Arkansas, Illinois and Illinois-Chicago will all come to Tucson to compete with the Wildcats for two spots in the NCAA Championship.

"Now it's one and done - the regular season is over," Arizona head coach Bill Ryden said. "It's going to be a little easier for us because we're used to the surroundings." [Read article]

For the Arizona women's golf team, one word sums up the way spring semester has unfolded: disappointing.

The Wildcats have a chance this week at the Ping/ASU Invitational to savor what has been a total turnaround after a fall semester that included their lone win of the season at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational.

"I told the girls that the spring season starts right now," head coach Greg Allen said. "It doesn't matter what happened the last three times out - this is where we start gaining momentum for the postseason." [Read article]

Coming off three straight wins and another jump in the rankings, the No. 21 Arizona men's tennis team looks to win another pair of matches, against Oregon today and Washington Sunday.

"They're two very big matches for us, two Pac-10 matches. The guys are healthy, so we're going in there ready to win," said UA assistant coach Tad Berkowitz.

Oregon (8-6, 0-2 Pacific 10 Conference) is led by Sven Swinnen, the No. 38 player in the nation. The Ducks lost their last two matches at California and Stanford, and have struggled against Arizona in the past. The Wildcats (11-6, 0-2) lead the all-time series 7-1. [Read article]

The Arizona women's tennis team will try to end its seven-game losing streak today when it faces Washington State in Tucson. The Wildcats will face stiffer competition in No. 6 Washington tomorrow.

One of the Wildcats' problems has been their tough schedule, as nine of their 13 matches have been against top-25 opponents. Arizona (4-9, 0-3 Pacific 10 Conference) has a record of 1-8 in those matches, compared to 3-1 against non-top-25 foes, with its only loss coming to then-No. 35 Oklahoma, which has since risen to No. 15 in the rankings. [Read article]

With its regular season in the rearview mirror and a tidy four-game winning streak under its belt, the Arizona men's rugby team's trip to Austin, Texas, for this weekend's Austin Invitational could be viewed as a weekend of rest, rugby and relaxation.

Arizona head coach Dave Sitton has different ideas about the visit.

"It's about the focus and direction of our program," said Sitton, who will conclude his 26th year at the Wildcat helm. "We've got many, many players coming back (next season). (This tournament) is not about an end-of-the-year fun run. It's all about, 'Hey, next year starts now.'" [Read article]

The Arizona men's club lacrosse team will seek to extend its four-game winning streak at Murphy Stadium this weekend, when UC San Diego and Southern California come to town.

The Laxcats' recent success has been a result of their potent offense. Over their last six games, they have averaged nearly 16 goals scored - by far the squad's best mark over any such span this season.

Junior attackman Adam Paris has averaged a robust six points in the last three games, highlighted by a six-goal, three-assist performance Sunday against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. [Read article]