The Oregon women’s tennis team opened Pac-12 conference play on a good note over weekend as they scored two wins against Washington and Washington State on the rivals’ home turf.
The Ducks’ upset victory over No. 25 Washington at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, Washington, proved to be the highlight of the weekend as it marked their first victory against a ranked opponent this season. Both pairs of Shweta Sangwan and Alyssa Tobita, and Julia Eshet and Marlou Kluiving, took down their ranked opponents to get an early lead.
Washington, however, was not about to go down without a fight. They struck back in the singles category to take down Kluiving and Tobita, two of the more consistent scorers for the Ducks. It was Rose’s time to shine as she locked in her first singles win since defeating Eastern Washington in January.
“I am extremely proud of the resiliency our team showed,” Oregon head coach Alison Silverio said in a press release following the Ducks’ victory over Washington. “We stayed tough and answered with true grit. Our team deserves to enjoy this victory tonight, but it will be back to work. The process never stops!”
The Ducks proceeded to ride that momentum to a 4-0 victory over Washington State on Sunday morning at the Simmelink Tennis Courts in Pullman, Washington. It was a repeat of Friday afternoon in the doubles category as Eshet and Kluiving, and Sangwan and Tobita won their matches.
Rose remained undefeated over the weekend in singles play, locking in a second win to bring her singles record to 10-12 this season. On top of Tobita and Eshet’s victories, Oregon brought the match to a quick end with Washington State unable to score a point.
“This was a solid weekend of competing for our team,” Silverio said. “We had different individuals step up and finish in both matches. When everyone becomes reliable day in and day out, we create opportunities to be successful. I am grateful for the way they represent our program!”
Oregon returns to their home turf this weekend to face off against UCLA on Friday afternoon and No. 21 USC on Sunday afternoon at the UO Student Tennis Center.
Follow Romaine Soh on Twitter @mainetainpls