Thomas Schneiter (left) became the second player from the 1998 recruiting class to leave the team. Bertrand Devillers (right) was the first to do so.
It has become a disturbing trend in Oregon tennis: players leaving the program before their eligibility runs out.
Two more Ducks have left the men’s team, leaving head coach Chris Russell with only five players on the roster.
Thomas Schneiter, Oregon’s top returning player, and sophomore Leslie Eisinga, the projected No. 3 starter, have both left Eugene and the Oregon program.
Schneiter, who would have been a junior this year, did not enroll at Oregon this fall and is currently at his home near Worb, Switzerland. Schneiter, who was the last remaining member of the 1998 recruiting class, was expected to carry the Ducks this season and ease the loss of three seniors from last year’s team.
Eisinga announced his transfer to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas this fall.
The native of Helleveetsluis, Netherlands, was Oregon’s No. 4 player last season and was the first freshman in school history to qualify for the NCAAs. Eisinga and now graduated Guillermo Carter qualified for the national tournament after placing second in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Eisinga is now UNLV’s No. 3 player and is ranked 27th in doubles with fellow Rebel Nenad Zivkovic.
The departures are another blot on the tennis program’s résumé. Last season, the women’s team lost one of its most prized recruits, Amy Juppenlatz. The freshman from Portland left the team at mid-season and now plays for Purdue.
Two years ago, the men lost another prized recruit after only one season. Bertrand Devillers, a native of Ecaussinnes, Belgium, went home for the summer in 1999 and did not return. Devillers and Schneiter were recruited together and were expected to bring the Oregon program to new heights. Instead, the Duck roster now has no juniors and an uncertain future.
This year’s losses leave the Duck men one player shy of a complete lineup. Sophomore Oded Teig has emerged as Oregon’s go-to player and leader on the court.
Other than Teig, however, the Ducks are young and unproven. Senior David Becker is the only upperclassman left on the team. Sophomore Jason Menke has also had significant varsity playing time.
The absences still put pressure upon freshman recruits Buck Mink and Chris King. Both performed well in Fresno and will be asked to step up their level of play this season.
Russell said that he expects three more players to join the team by the beginning of Pac-10 play in January.
