Beating two ranked teams in consecutive conference matches was supposed to be a regular occurrence for the Washington women’s tennis team this season. As player after player was kept from the lineup by the familiar enemies of illness, injury and eligibility questions, however, the Huskies struggled to get one win, let alone two in a row.

After upsetting Washington State and Oregon in the final two matches of the season, the Huskies are finally in a position to show off their strength. The women have jumped into the rankings, going from unranked to No. 65 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s latest poll. The top three singles players are all back in the lineup, and although they might not be at 100 percent health, their presence on the court has been invaluable to the Huskies.

This resurgence may have come too late for the Huskies to improve their 2-7 record in conference play, but this weekend the players will have a chance to prove themselves on an individual level at the Pac-10 championship in Ojai, Calif.

In the Pac-10 singles draw of 32, Washington’s entrants will be Mathilde Cor, Joyce Ardies and Aleksandra Malovic. Each of these three, who make up the top three singles spots in the UW’s lineup, has been sidelined at some point during this season for one of the various reasons that have kept Huskies off the court. Going into this weekend, they will be even hungrier for victory.

They will have their work cut out for them, as the Pac-10 boasts 10 players ranked in the top 25. That includes California’s Susie Babos, who was the NCAA individual champion from last year, as well as USC’s Lindsey Nelson, the runner-up.

Ardies and Cor will also pair in the Pac-10 doubles draw, where in the first round they will face the No. 21 doubles team in the nation, Lindsay Burdette and Anne Yelsey of Stanford. The UW will also have three players in the invitational singles draw and three teams in the invitational doubles.

Despite the strong competition that the conference offers, spirits are high as the women prepare to head to California.

“I’ve never seen the girls so happy,” coach Jill Hultquist said. “Even when we were losing, the chemistry was good, and now it’s even better. The girls see the future of Washington tennis.”

Reach reporter Risa Pavia at sports@thedaily.washington.edu