After this weekend's St. Mary's Invitational, the Cal men's tennis team won't play again until Jan. 16. Coming off a lackluster performance at last weekend's tournament, the Bears look to end the fall season on a high note when they step onto the court at the Timothy Korth Tennis Complex in Moraga, Calif.

"You want to take the momentum and positive energy for the next (two) months," junior Zach Gilbert said.

Cal will be taking on mainly local teams, such as Santa Clara and Fresno State along with the Gaels. But the Bears are more focused on their mentality coming in rather than on their opponents. Players and coaches do not want to replicate the first day of last weekend's Battle of the Bay Classic, in which all four singles players lost.

Coach Peter Wright admitted that playing away may have been a factor in last weekend's letdown.

"The guys weren't as focused," he said. "We learned a valuable lesson."

At practice this week, Wright made sure that his players were in a "good physical and emotional frame of mind to be successful." Cal did not do anything out of the ordinary at practice, as fitness and winning points were still the priority; but the players individually know the significance of the St. Mary's Invitational.

"I'm really trying to gear up for this tournament," Gilbert said, who along with many of his teammates has been working on being more aggressive on the court. As one of the Bears who played last weekend, he wants the coaches to know that the first day of the Battle of the Bay Classic was an aberration.

The next time Cal plays after this weekend, it will be the beginning of the dual season, meaning only six singles and doubles players of the ten on the team will play. Although Wright referred to Wilson/ITA Northwest Regionals as the pinnacle of the fall season, the players still have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

"It's the last chance to show how good we are," freshman Riki McLachlan said.

The Bears have high expectations for this weekend. When asked what would be a successful tournament, McLachlan was blunt.

"One of us should win it, for sure, in singles and doubles," he said. "Anyone is capable."

Napa Valley Classic winner Jonathan Dahan, who has an injured wrist, won't be playing and top player Pedro Zerbini will only play doubles, due to a lingering ankle injury. Nonetheless, Wright suggested that Cal will have the "strongest representatives there."

Dahan and Zerbini's absences will open the door for other players.

"It's open season for other guys to prove themselves," Wright said. "Christoffer Konigsfeldt and Bozhidar Katsarov are coming off strong performances at regionals."

With the end of fall season also comes the end of fall semester, and that means one thing: finals.

"Since it's getting closer to finals, we are hitting the books so we can aim for a solid title defense of team GPA," Gilbert said.

Gilbert is referring to the Newmark Award, which the Cal men's tennis team won last semester for having the best team GPA of all the sports teams on campus.

For now, the Bears are working hard to have an 'A' performance at the St. Mary's Invitational. They'll worry about those other tests when the time comes.

Tags: CAL MEN'S TENNIS, PETER WRIGHT, PEDRO ZERBINI, ST. MARY'S INVITATIONAL