Wildcat Wrap: Men’s tennis sweeps LA schools

Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.

Arizona men’s tennis secured a pair of marquee victories over the weekend, beating No. 37 UCLA and No. 9 USC at home.

The No. 18 Wildcats made quick work of the Bruins on Friday, winning doubles and three singles points.

Arizona’s victory over USC on Sunday was a different story. The Wildcats dropped the doubles point and appeared to be in danger of losing of the match when No. 80 Colton Smith dropped the first set on singles court No. 1, while USC gained points on courts No. 4 and 6.

Smith recovered, winning his point 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 over USC’s No. 32 Stefan Dostanic, while No. 45 Jonas Ziverts got the Wildcats on the board with a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over USC’s No. 26 Peter Makk and Jay Friend took down the Trojans’ Ryan Colby.

With the match tied 3-3, Arizona turned to Gustaf Strom, who held off USC’s Wojtek Morek 7-5, 3-6, 6-0.

Arizona improved to 17-4 and 3-1 in Pac-12 play with the sweep, joining Utah atop the conference standings.

The Wildcats host Oregon and Washington on Friday and Sunday.

Beach volleyball

The UA went 4-0 in the Wildcat Spring Challenge, winning all four matches decisively. Arizona opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over Missouri State and followed it with a 4-1 victory over Santa Clara.

The following day, Arizona beat Colorado Mesa 5-0 and then took down UTEP 4-1.

Arizona’s top two pairings of Alex Parkhurst/Sarah Blacker and Abby Russell/Hope Shannon each went 3-1 on the weekend.

The Wildcats compete April 5-7 at the Pac-12 North Invitational in Stanford, Calif., where they’ll face Stanford, Utah, USC and UCLA.

Women’s tennis

Arizona was swept twice in its Bay Area road trip, falling to No. 15 Stanford and No. 42 Cal by scores of 7-0. The Wildcats return home this weekend where they’ll host UCLA and USC on Friday and Saturday.

Women’s golf

The Wildcats are competing at the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif. Through one round, Arizona sits in a tie for 14th place at 22-over par.

The UA is led by Carolina Melgrati at 3-over.

This is the last level of the regular season.

Triathlon

Arizona has hired Jocelyn Bonney as an assistant coach for triathlon.

Bonney was the first individual triathlon national champion in NCAA history while a student at Queens University in North Carolina.

“Jocelyn was the first ever NCAA Triathlon champion and has been a mentor, coach, and leader in women’s triathlon ever since,” said head coach Wes Johnson. “She has a unique ability to spot the talent, character, and drive we are looking for here at Arizona. Her ability to communicate as a coach is accomplished in a way that I have never seen before. She has been coaching junior triathletes of all levels before taking this job as well as living at the Olympic training center as a guide for visually impaired athletes striving to compete at the Paralympic games. I’m grateful to kickstart this program with Jocelyn as a coach, leader, and someone who truly understands high performance.”