Wildcats debut in California tourney

The UA men's tennis team travels to Southern California today for its first opportunity to show off its talents and start the 2003-04 season off right.

The Laguna Niguel Futures Tournament starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Arizona is sending four returning letter-winners to the tournament, along with one freshman.

Senior Carl Hagman, the Wildcats' team captain in 2002-03, will be making the trip. Hagman went 2-0 in the No. 1 position in singles last season. He was 17-14 overall and was a Pacific 10 Conference honorable mention performer.

Junior Colin O'Grady and sophomores Roger Matalonga and Tim Mullane will also make the trip for the single-elimination tournament, featuring more than 100 collegiate athletes. This is the first fall tournament at the UA for Matalonga, who joined the team in January but immediately had an impact on the team's success. He finished with a singles record of 13-7 last season.

The only freshman participating in the tournament is Nate Cochrane, who will be seeing his first action as a Wildcat. Head coach Bill Wright, who is heading into his 18th year with the UA, is looking forward to watching him play and getting Cochrane some college experience.

By entering Cochrane, a state champion at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz., into the tourney, Wright said he wants to "throw him to the lions and see how he fares."

Wright said he would like to see his players, who have been practicing for just two weeks, perform well, but isn't putting too much emphasis on the tournament.

"(It's) the first step on a long road," he said. "We're not living and dying by this tournament."

This season, the Wildcats look to be even stronger than last year due to the return of Tom Lloyd, who was cleared by the NCAA on Wednesday to play this season. Lloyd sat out all of last season ÷ his senior year ÷ with an injured back, but was able to gain another year of eligibility via a medical redshirt. Lloyd will not be participating in the tournament.

The draw for the tournament takes place later today, with matches set to begin tomorrow at 9 a.m.

"We're excited just to get the guys some matches," Wright said.