Battling back for a 5-4 win over No. 6 California, the women's tennis team returns from the Bay Area on a positive note despite suffering its first Pacific 10 Conference loss of the year to No.3 Stanford.

Splitting the weekend's matches, the women's tennis team now stands at 8-1 in dual match play and 2-1 in the Pac-10.

Down 4-2 after the singles matches, Arizona had to sweep the doubles play for the victory over Cal.

All-American Vicky Maes won both of her singles matches over the weekend to up her overall record to 29-5, 4-0 in the Pac-10.

"Cal thought that they had already won, but we didn't let them," Maes said.

Maes and freshman Monique Allegre accounted for the singles wins against Cal.

Filling in for the injured Stephanie Sammaritano, Allegre won the crucial singles match allowing Arizona to stay alive after the singles round.

"She played really well. She was the deciding factor whether we won or not, and she did great," said Maes of Allegre's play.

In what was closer than the score shows, Arizona lost to Stanford 6-3, but was down 4-3 with two doubles matches to go. Arizona was defeated in both doubles matches which were played in pro-set format, not three-set format that Arizona usually plays.

The match marked Stanford's 17th straight win in the Pac-10, a streak that dates back to the 1994 season.

"Stanford is really a tough team, and we played them well there. We will have a better chance when we play them at home," Maes said.

The three wins for Arizona came from Maes's defeat of No. 5 Ania Bleszynnski 6-2, 6-3, Karen Goldstein's 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 33 Kim Shasby, and the doubles team of Goldstein and Stephanie Sammaritano's 8-4 victory over the 11th-ranked team of Shasby and Julie Scott.

Maes, UA's No. 1 singles player and coming off her runner-up finish at the prestigious Rolex ITA National Championships, was not matched up against Stanford's usual number one, No. 2 Katie Schlukebir, as expected.

"I was surprised when they announced it, but Ania is good. She has beaten me twice. I knew that I was playing good tennis though, and I knew that I could beat her," Maes said.