This weekend will mark the last chance for seniors Daria Panova,
Ester Bak and Davina Mendiburu to showcase their talents in front of a home crowd.
The trio, along with the Oregon women’s tennis team, will battle against two of the nation’s top
15 teams when No. 4 Southern California visits today at 1:30 p.m. and No. 13 UCLA drops by Saturday for “Senior Day” at noon at the Student Tennis Center.
The three seniors are eager to play their last two home matches, where they’ve enjoyed success throughout their career. The Ducks have compiled a 24-8 record at home over the past three seasons. This season, the Ducks are 9-1.
“We’re very excited, and I think it means a lot for (us seniors),
because it’s our very last match here,” Mendiburu said. “I hope a lot of people come and cheer for us.”
Mendiburu said her team is confident about their play after upsetting No. 16 Washington 4-3 on the road March 22. The Ducks also nearly defeated No. 24 California three days later in a 4-3 loss.
“We’re playing great tennis, but I think we’ve reached that level, and I think we have a very good chance,” said Mendiburu, who sits third all-time at Oregon in career singles wins with 68. “I really do believe we can do it if we all show up.”
The Ducks believe playing at home gives them a chance to beat anyone, even the most elite teams.
“We play great here traditionally and (USC and UCLA) are not used to playing indoors,” Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said. “Anytime we play at home we feel like we have a chance to win no matter who we play. We got nothing to lose, and we’re a very confident group right now.”
However, Oregon realizes that each of its opponents are playing well and are on a hot streak. The Bruins have won five straight matches, including one over Washington on the road. The Trojans, meanwhile, are on an eight-match winning streak and have lost just once this season. That loss came at the hands of defending NCAA champion Stanford on Feb. 26.
“They’re two of the best teams in the country,” Schyllander said. “Both of them probably have a legitimate shot at the national championship. You’ll see some of the best freshmen in college tennis.”
USC has two top-ranked freshmen in No. 11 Nicole Leimbach, who has a 24-8 overall record,
and No. 10 Lindsey Nelson, who is 25-5 this season. UCLA is led by
freshman Riza Zalameda, who is ranked No. 18 nationally and led the Bruins with 10 singles victories after the fall season.
With Oregon’s success this season, Schyllander said he believes his
program should be regarded among the Pac-10’s elite, along with California, Washington and USC.
“We have to be considered among them,” he said. “We hope to see both of those teams in the postseason.”
Panova said she is anticipating both matches to come down to the last point.
“I expect a hard match, and it should end in a 4-3 (score),” said Panova, who is 12-4 in singles matches this season. “I figure it will be long and painful, and (hopefully) we’re going to win.”