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Tennis teams begin Pac-10 tournament

Closing out the regular season last week, both the UA men's and women's tennis teams open the Pacific 10 Conference Championships in Ojai, Calif.

Held annually before the NCAA regionals, the tournament consists only of singles play. The women's portion of the tournament is split into two divisions, the "top flight" and "lower flight." Each team in the Pac-10 sends its top three players into the upper division.

The next three slots will play in the lower level. This allows players from across the country to face opponents of similar skill levels.

Representing the women's tennis team in "top flight" will be sophomore Lindsay Blau, freshman Uzma Kahn and senior Vanessa Abel.

Even though junior Michelle Gough has always played in the top three positions during the season, the coaching staff decided to play her in the "lower flight" to improve her game.

"She's lost 11 out of her last 12 matches," assistant coach Kevin Epley said. "With a win, it'll help her build up her confidence."

Playing against weaker opponents, Gough has an opportunity to break out of her slump in preparation for regionals next week.

Following Gough in "lower flight" will be sophomores Laresa Marino and Joanna Buczkowska. In deciding the final spot between Buczkowska and freshman Siri Fomsgaard, the coaching staff based the position on overall talent.

"Joanna had more experience and is a better player than Siri," Epley said.

Having finished the regular season, the team enjoyed light practices on Monday and Tuesday. Instead of drills during the entire practice, the team held small games - serving contests and a backhand games where competitors are only allowed to play using backhand shots. The game allowed the team to relax for the weekend.

"(The games) lower the intensity level," Epley said. "The players are always happy to get a breath."

Slightly different from the women's tournament, men's tournament still has two flight divisions, but each team is able to send four players to each division.

Leading the first four into the "top flight" is No. 54 junior Alex Aybar. After a month's absence from the national rankings, Aybar's huge leap into the national poll comes on the heels of his impressive victory versus No. 3 Alex Kim of Stanford two weeks ago. The match will allow Aybar to get more experience against ranked opponents.

"It is a great opportunity for him to get some ranked wins," assistant coach Bob Helmig said.

Along with Aybar, UA will also send seniors Alex Brown, Jean-Noel LaCoste and sophomore Michel Stopa into the "top flight." The group has played in the top four positions all season.

In the "lower flight," Arizona sends the younger players of the team, sophomores Bruno Aropovic Caleb Marquardt, Jari Niskala and freshman Tom Lloyd.

Continuing with casual practices, the Wildcats are still limiting workouts to two hours a day. In preparation for the week, only two practices were held, as the team left yesterday for California.

"We want everybody healthy," Helmig said. "We want to go into a match and have the best lineup."