Women's tennis welcomes Miringoff back to the team

Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona junior Betsy Miringoff decided to return to the UA tennis team earlier this week. Miringoff quit the team last fall for personal reasons.

The shirts read, "Back and Better," and the Wildcats strengthened that phrase yesterday afternoon when junior Betsy Miringoff decided to rejoin the unit that she quit last fall.

"We were joking around yesterday, saying that we can wear those shirts now because I think we are going to be back and better," teammate Monique Allegre said. "I can't tell you how excited I am that Betsy is back because we will have the same team as we d id last year."

Miringoff, last season's No. 3 singles player who has won 82 percent of her dual singles matches in her Arizona career, quit the team in the beginning of November due to some team issues that she was unhappy with.

"I just wasn't really enjoying the atmosphere that much at that point, and I wasn't really happy with the situations," Miringoff said. "We've talked it through and I think I just needed a good break to separate myself, but it's been taken care of and I'm happy about it."

"She just decided this afternoon that she missed it and that it was time to come back, and we all decided that we wanted her back," senior Khristen Pietrucha said.

The Wisconsin native and her teammates left for Madison yesterday to compete in the ITA National Team Indoors Tournament less than 24 hours after Miringoff returned to the team.

Head coach Becky Bell said Miringoff will likely play in Madison.

"I haven't decided exactly where she's going to fit in yet, so we'll just kind of have to wait and see," Bell said.

Aside from being reunited with the team on Tuesday, Miringoff will enjoy a homecoming this weekend in her first competition of the season.

"Wisconsin has always been a fun tournament and it's just nice because I have some family and friends out there," Miringoff said.

Before quitting the team Miringoff was ranked as one of the nation's top 60 players.

Miringoff had a strong showing at the indoor tournament last season, defeating Stanford's Sandra DeSilva, who is currently ranked 17th in the country.

"All that matters is that she's back and she'll be a big attribute to the team," Pietrucha said. "Just having her back (means) we can feel like a full team again."

Miringoff acknowledged that she had not picked up a racquet since October prior to Tuesday's practice, and is not to setting high standards for herself too soon.

"I'm going to start at the bottom and hopefully work my way up and keep my mind open that nobody can expect to play their best when they've taken off four months," Miringoff said.

The Wildcats (4-3 overall, 1-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference's Southern Division) missed having her experience in their early Pac-10 matches last month.

"It was really tight with Cal and Stanford," Pietrucha said. "I think if we would have had Betsy, it might have made a difference because she was always really supportive and is an unbelievable player."

"I think everyone's a little more confident now because we have so many injuries," Allegre said. "Now we're going to have a person to fill in if something happens."

Miringoff finished last season 28-9 and should give the Wildcats more strength at the bottom of their lineup. The bottom three singles positions are a combined 27-19 this season.

"Not only will we be a little deeper, but I think we'll be stronger. Betsy is a very good player and will help the team a lot," Bell said. "She is a real competitive player and I expect her to contribute again this year."

Allegre, a sophomore who played doubles with Miringoff last season, said it is uncertain if they will play together again this season.

"I love playing doubles with Betsy. I don't know if I will but if I do that's great," Allegre said. "She's a great doubles player, so no matter who she plays doubles with, that's going to be an awesome combination."

"I have played tennis for basically 16 years of my life so it was kind of hard to just to stop playing one day," Miringoff said. "I miss tennis and I just needed a break, but I'm ready to be a part of it again."