No. 29 men's tennis holds court against No. 73 Memphis today


By Matthew Bassin
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday, March 8, 2005

The No. 29 Arizona men's tennis team is glad to finally be back home.

After being on the road for almost a month, the Wildcats (6-4) are back to face the No. 73 Memphis Tigers (5-7, 1-2 Conference USA) today at 1:30 p.m. at Robson Tennis Center.

"The guys are ready to make a statement," said assistant coach Tad Berkowitz. "After a long road trip, it'll be nice to play at home."

During their long road trip, the Wildcats had a few setbacks, including inclement weather.

"That was partially my fault," said head coach Bill Wright. "I kept the guys cooped up in a hotel for too long; it made them frustrated."

Then the team had to battle the flu bug going around.

"It was hard for us, since four of our starting six were sick," Wright said. "They tried hard, but they were just too worn down to really compete."

Now that the road trip is finished, the team is healthy, and the Wildcats said they are hoping to get back to winning.

"The guys are going to take out their frustration on Memphis," Berkowitz said.

It's not going to be an easy match according to Berkowitz.

"In men's tennis, if you're ranked, then you're good - doesn't matter what the ranking is," Berkowitz said. "We know they've played some pretty good teams and have had success against those teams."

Berkowitz said the team is not taking anyone for granted, acknowledging how tough their 5-2 win against then-No. 70 University of California, Santa Barbara was on Feb. 5.

Wright said he has plenty of confidence that his team will get back to their winning ways this week.

"Our guys are ready," Wright said. "The road trips took their toll on us, but we're home now, and we're ready to play. The guys are healthy and fresh."