Huskies host Pilots, Dons

By Ben Miller

Jan 20, 2005, 12:00 AM

The Washington men's tennis team begins its season with matches against a pair of West Coast Conference members this weekend at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. The No. 21 Huskies, who play their first 11 matches at home, start the season against Portland at 4 p.m. tomorrow and San Francisco at 2 p.m. Saturday. Coach Matt Anger said it is important to get off to a good start to set a tone for the rest of the season. "One match doesn't make or break your season, but you don't want to start it going in the wrong direction," he said. In 43 total match ups between the two teams, Washington has never lost to Portland, including last season in which they won every set against UP. "We've played them each year that I've been the coach," said Anger. "I think they've got one of their best teams ever this year." Portland's Matthew Loucks, ranked No. 111, is the only nationally ranked player the Huskies will face this weekend. Saturday, Washington will face off against San Francisco, who posted a 9-15 record last season, en route to a sixth-place finish in the WCC. Pablo Pires De Almeida is the number one singles player for the Dons. He posted a 6-2 record in the fall, including a win over No. 21 Conor Niland of California. Washington will start the season with two players ranked in the top 100. Sophomore Alex Slovic is ranked No. 9 while senior Christoph Palmanshofer is '79th. Senior Alex Vlaski, who ranked as high as No. 2 last year, did not start the season ranked because he did not play in fall events. Anger stressed that there are three keys to victory this weekend. "You have to come out and start well, you have to sustain the effort and the play, and you have to finish," he said.

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