The UC Davis men’s tennis team put up a good showing at the 2010 ITA Northwest Regional Tournament this weekend.

The Aggies had one player win the first two rounds of singles competition, three players advance a round in the consolation singles bracket and one doubles team walk away with a win in the round of 64.

Sophomore Toki Sherbakov had the best singles performance for the team, shutting out Jeff Cero of Portland state (6-0, 6-0) in the first round and then defeating Danny Diaz of Sacramento State (6-1, 6-2) in the second round. Unfortunately for Sherbakov, he couldn’t advance any further as he fell to University of Washington’s Kyle McMorrow in the round of 32 (6-3, 6-2).

In doubles competition, Aggie sophomore Connor Coates and freshman Alec Haley won their first round against Scott Sullivan and Zhia Chong of Gonzaga in a pro set 9-8 (4-0). Stanford’s Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thatcher eliminated the duo in the following round (8-4).

The Aggies return to action in two weeks when they travel to St. Mary’s to participate in the Gael Tennis Classic.

– Ron Hooper

Teams: UC Davis at No. 6 Ohio State; at No. 12 Michigan

Records: Aggies, 5-7; Buckeyes 11-3; Wolverines 10-5

Where: Phyllis Ocker Field – Ann Arbor, Mich.

When: Saturday at 10 a.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m.

Who to watch: Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Sawvelle has been instrumental in the Aggies’ success this season.

The San Diego, Calif. native has started all 12 games this year and has 78 saves, good for a .743 save percentage.

Did you know? UC Davis players took two NorPac Conference awards last week.

Sophomore Nadia Namdari was named Western Division Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season following her game-winning overtime goal against Pacific.

Cloey LemMon – who also scored in the Aggies’ win over the Tigers – received Western Division Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this year.

Preview: UC Davis is trying to keep its momentum rolling as it enters the last three games before the NorPac Tournament.

This will be no easy task, however, as the Aggies will travel out of state to face two of the top teams in the Big Ten Conference in Ohio State and Michigan.

UC Davis expects to get their opponents’ best shot.

“I expect them to come out extremely hard,” said coach Vianney Campos. “They’re going to play us just like they would a top level Big Ten team.”

UC Davis suffered its only two shutouts of the year in two previous contests with Big Ten programs – a 5-0 loss to Northwestern and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Indiana.

Still, the Aggies feel like they can improve upon the prior Big Ten matchups.

“In no way do we feel like we’re beaten before the game even starts,” Campos said. “We play hard no matter what and we never give up.”

Campos also feels this trip will help prepare her team for what’s to come.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity of seeing these great teams,” she said. “This is a great way for us to get ready for the NorPac Tournament. We keep finding motivation in our practices and we always learn from our mistakes.”

– Trevor Cramer

Teams: UC Davis vs. South Alabama

Records: Aggies, 3-3; Jaguars, 6-0

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: Saturday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: The Aggie coaching staff always knew Dre Allen and Jonathan Perkins were going to be good football players.

They didn’t know, however, they’d show such talent so early in their careers.

After redshirting his freshman year, Allen, a cornerback out of Compton, Calif. is tied for second on the team with 18 solo tackles this season.

His fellow cornerback Perkins, a Gardena, Calif. native, is right behind him with 14 tackles.

The two are not just competitive, says coach Bob Biggs.

“Both of them have that thing that coaches can’t coach,” he said. “They have good football instincts.”

Did you know? Saturday’s matchup will be the first time UC Davis has ever faced South Alabama. The game will be the Aggies’ only first-time opponent for the 2010 campaign.

Preview: The Aggies’ running game comes in spurts.

Just over one month ago, running back Josh Reese ran for 104 yards and a touchdown against San Diego.

How did he do that?

Veteran offensive lineman Mark Tos said it’s because “everyone did their job.”

To establish the run game, all 11 guys on offense have to make the right moves – the quarterback has to make the right reads, the ball carrier has to break tackles and the linemen have to block.

Biggs has been looking for this balance all season.

The Aggies currently average just 74.5 yards per game on the ground, including just 71 combined in the last two contests.

The running game has been a weakness, and through the bye week, a point of emphasis for UC Davis in preparation for South Alabama on Saturday.

“If you don’t run the ball, people don’t respect the run,” Biggs said. “If you become one-dimensional, it’s easy for people to defend.”

While the Aggies’ offense has struggled in this facet, a solid Jaguar defense has shown the potential so far in the 2010 season to make it even tougher for them.

South Alabama sits high on the Football Championship Subdivision charts, holding its opponents to just 57.5 rushing yards per game. In turn, the Jaguars have outscored their competition by an average of 47-5.

“These guys are physical and they’re fast,” said running back Nick Aprile. “We have to have balance offensively to put up points and keep our defense on the sideline.”

That’s not to say that Aprile doesn’t have faith in the Aggie defense.

“Our defense can play with anybody,” Aprile said.

The general consensus on the team is that UC Davis just needs to keep its defense off the field and the offense on it.

The Aggies need to take pride in the run game.

– Grace Sprague

Event: The Rodeo

Teams: UC Davis vs. Brown; vs. Cal Baptist; vs. Air Force; vs. Bucknell

Records: Aggies 12-6 (11-0), Bears 13-4, Lancers 22-3, Falcons 7-11 (4-5), Bison 9-10

Where: Sulivan Aquatic Center – Santa Clara, Calif.

When: Saturday at 11:30 a.m.; 3:15 p.m., Sunday at 10:15 a.m., 4:30 p.m.

Who to watch: It’s obvious to opponents that Aaron Salit makes a difference in the pool. Over the course of the last two months, the Mill Valley, Calif. native has put up some big numbers as he leads the Aggies in goals (33) and is second in the team in points (34).

“His performance is coming up because of his endurance,” said men’s water polo coach Steve Doten. “He’s playing more minutes and that’s really hard for a center to swim [that many minutes]. He’s doing great.”

In UC Davis’ last game against Air Force, Salit posted a hat-trick, leading the Aggies to a 7-4 win on Sept. 20.

Did you know? Less than one month separates the Aggies from the Western Water Polo Association Championships.

Preview: The Aggies are saying goodbye to home – at least for a while.

After spending nearly a month in the friendly confines of Schaal Aquatic Center, the men’s water polo team will have to travel for five of their next of seven matches.

The Aggies will be heading to Santa Clara, Calif. this weekend to take on four teams in two days.

The last time UC Davis had more than four games in a three-day period was nearly a month ago, when it competed against Stanford, UC San Diego, Long Beach State, Santa Clara and Air Force in the NorCal Invitational.

Though they will play two games on both Saturday and Sunday, the Aggies will only have one WWPA team on their docket when they play Air Force.

The Falcons have won their past two games and are looking to start a winning streak in The Rodeo.

Air Force isn’t the only school looking to hit its stride this weekend. With only a pair of conference games remaining on their schedule, the Aggies can finish out the season undefeated in WWPA play.

However, with only one month before WWPA championships and six weeks until National Collegiate Championships, now is the time for the Aggies start firing on all cylinders.

– Matt Wang

Teams: UC Davis vs. UCLA; vs. Loyola Marymount

Where: Spleker Aquatic Center – Los Angeles, CA

When: Friday at 1p.m.

Who to watch: Sophomore Bridget Bugbee is looking to build upon
an already stellar UC Davis career.

Did you know? During last season’s historic run the swim and dive teams set 10 new school records and one Big West Conference record.

Preview: It’s been seven long months on dry land for the Aggies and its time to dive in.

Coming off of an outstanding 2009-2010 campaign, coach Barbara Jahn looks to lead the UC Davis Swim and Dive teams on another championship season.

Last year the Aggies walked away as Big West Conference Champions. On the way, UC Davis broke a staggering 10 school records and one Big West record in the pool. Jahn was named the 2010 Big West Coach of the Year after leading the Aggies to the university’s first ever conference championship at the Division I level.

The standards are high after such an extraordinary season, but many changes await the team as they embark on the 2010-2011 campaign.

First up is the smaller roster. Due to university budget cuts last year, the men’s half of the swim and dive program was let go.

The Aggies will also be experiencing some new competition. While UC Davis thrived in the Big West, it has moved to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The swim and dive team joins UC Davis women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics in the MPSF.

The season begins with UCLA and Loyola Marymount, who compete in the Pacific 10 and the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference, respectively.

Loyola Marymount is coming off of a near championship season in their own right, as the Lions finished second by only 6.5 points in last year’s PCSC championship.

UCLA swims in the always-competitive Pac 10. Both schools look to be tough opponents for the Aggies.

– Johnny Parsons

Teams: UC Davis at Pacific, vs. Cal Poly

Records: Aggies 6-7-1 (1-3), Tigers 6-6-3 (3-2), Mustangs 6-8-1 (1-3-1)

Where: Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium – Stockton, Calif.; Aggie Soccer Field

When: Thursday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: If UC Davis can manage to get some conference wins, they have a shot to earn one of four Big West Conference playoff spots.

Goalkeeper Kathleen Brandl can play a huge role in the Aggies’ quest for conference wins.

The native of Redwood City, Calif. has only surrendered 11 goals in 14 games while earning 37 saves.

Did you know? Though they are nearing the end of their schedule, Thursday’s game against Pacific will be just the second night game for the Aggies. In their last matchup under the lights, UC Davis lost 2-1 to Cal State Northridge.

Preview: It felt so good to put together an entire game against a conference team.

That’s what coach Maryclaire Robinson said after the Aggies’ 2-1 win against UC Santa Barbara.

“We scored goals [in previous games],” Robinson said, “but it was just a matter of putting the two together. That felt really good.”

The conference win had eluded the Aggies in their previous three tries. Now, however, it seems that the win felt so good, the Aggies want another. They understand that it’s going to take another couple of wins to fight their way back to being competitive in the Big West Conference.

“Any conference game is a big game,” said Robinson. “We’re looking to claw ourselves back.”

Standing in UC Davis’ way is Pacific and Cal Poly. The Tigers are riding a three-game win streak and are looking to earn one of the top four spots in the Big West. With their next three games at home, Pacific is in a prime spot to make a run for playoffs.

“[Pacific] is trying to put one away,” said Robinson. “[Our game] is going to get heated.”

The Mustangs, however, are a team in desperate need of a win. They have lost their last three games, and even had a game against Seattle University get cancelled due to a lightning storm.

If the Aggies’ want to top the surging Tigers and struggling Mustangs, they’ll need to do it without their top scorer Allison Kelly.

Still, the Aggies control their own fate.

“It’s still day to day [with Kelly],” said Robinson. “We’re going to put in whoever we can to put in 90 minutes.”

– Matt Wang

Event: ITA Northwest Regional Championships

Where: Taube Tennis Center – Stanford, Calif.

When: Friday through Tuesday, all day

Who to watch:  Junior Dahra Zamudio is the team’s highest ranked returning player.

Last weekend at the Saint Mary’s Invitational, the Orange, Calif. native beat a first-string Stanford player.

“To beat someone from last year’s number one team is an extremely good accomplishment,” coach Bill Maze said. “She is a great competitor. She really enjoys the competition and takes each opponent as a real challenge.”

Did you know? The ITA Northwest Regional operates as a single draw in that all players have individual matches against different schools. Maze plans to give each of his players specialized advice based on whom they are matched up against.

Preview: This weekend, balls are going to smack the court.

The Aggies have been preparing all off-season and now they’re ready for the peak of the season – ITA Regionals.

Maze said the main goal of the weekend is to have fun.

“Part of our team philosophy is that you can control your own attitude,” he said. “You can’t control the numbers. We all know we play our best out there when we have fun.”

UC Davis is up against some challenging teams that are nationally ranked. Two of the teams the Aggies are scheduled to match up against, Stanford and California, were ranked in the top-15 in the nation.

Though some squads in the tournament may come from top-level conferences like the Pac-10, Maze believes UC Davis still has an edge over the competition.

“It’s about the attitudes,” Maze said. “Our team has great chemistry on and off the court. That adds up. We play our best when we’re out there having fun together. That attitude is definitely one of our strong suits.”

– Caleigh Guoynes

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Riverside

Records: Aggies 14-7 (5-3); Highlanders 2-17 (0-7)

Where: Hickey Gym

When: Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior Kayla Varney did it all for the Aggies last Saturday.

The Murrieta, Calif. native led UC Davis in digs and tied for the team lead in kills during the Aggies’ thrilling comeback over UC Santa Barbara last weekend.

The outside hitter associated her strong play to a significant line-up change that was made from Friday’s match to Saturday’s.

“We moved me out of libero and up to outside hitter,” Varney said. “We had a lot more support on the outside and it helped us win.”

Did you know? The Aggies’ Saturday matchup will be a throwback day of sorts.

Due to a scheduling conflict with the Pavilion, UC Davis will play its match at Upper Hickey Gym – the first time the Aggies have played there since last season.

Coach Jamie Holmes said she is excited for the opportunity to play at Hickey one more time.

Preview: Momentum can do wonders for a team – and the Aggies have it.

UC Davis topped then first place UC Santa Barbara Saturday night in a thrilling five-set comeback. The Aggies stormed back from a two set deficit to steal the third set and cruise through the final two games en route to the key conference victory.

Holmes feels gaining speed entering the latter half of the Big West Conference season is just as important as the victory itself.

“I think it’s really important for us to get momentum,” Holmes said. “It will definitely help us down the stretch.”

UC Davis carried its momentum into a rare mid-week matchup when they traveled to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco.

The Aggies again had to battle back from an early deficit but got the win nonetheless.

Despite the win, the Aggies committed 23 errors. The Aggies committed 20 errors in the loss to Cal Poly Friday and Holmes recognizes this could pose as a problem down the road.

“We gave away a lot of points [in the Cal Poly game] and that’s something we’ll have to work on in practice,” Holmes said. “We usually say the outcome is what you put in practice and we’ll need to work on limiting errors.”

– Jason Alpert