The Oregon men’s tennis team can be considered an emotional squad. At times, that helps pump up players to a higher level.
But at other times, emotions can hinder their play and cause things to go wrong.
The Ducks (7-2 overall) steered their emotions in the right direction during Sunday’s upset of No. 18 Washington. Oregon head coach Chris Russell said he was proud of the way his team competed from start to finish and how hard the players focused on defeating the Huskies — a team that has historically dominated the Ducks.
“We didn’t let things get away from us,” Russell said. “I think before, we got excited about getting a doubles point or having a lead or chances like that. That’s why I’m proud of the guys. They didn’t get ahead of themselves.”
Oregon’s win was only the fifth victory in the history of the program against its Seattle foe. The Huskies still have an impressive 107-5 all-time record against the Ducks.
“We don’t really want to say it, but we have been haunted by that for awhile,” Russell said. “(For now), we’re no longer haunted.”

Crowd factor
Fans filled the bleachers to create a rowdy atmosphere at the Student Tennis Center during the men’s victory. At one point, during the No. 1 singles matchup between Oregon’s Manuel Kost and the Huskies’ Alex Vlaski, Vlaski complained to Pacific-10 Conference officials that the crowd was too noisy during play and was hampering his concentration.
The men’s team has received support from its counterparts, the Oregon women. The men recognize and appreciate the support.
“The women’s team has been some of our best supporters the past two or three years,” Russell said. “They have made monumental differences in what we have been able to do in some of these matches.”
Russell said the loud environment Sunday is partly due to the excitement his team hopes to generate at every match for the rest of the season. “I felt the energy is what we’re trying to create out here,” he said. “The atmosphere where people can come out and have some fun.”

Women taken down
Whether it was playing outdoors for the first time since last October or playing three of the nation’s top 10 teams, the women are mired in a three-match losing streak.
In losses to top-ranked Stanford and No. 9 California, the No. 24 Ducks failed to win a single dual match point in consecutive 7-0 defeats. The women did not win a single match in doubles or singles over the weekend.
Oregon junior Daria Panova, ranked seventh in the nation, lost both of her singles matches to drop her singles record to 7-3. The last time Panova lost two straight matches occurred in April 2003.
Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said the past two opponents, Stanford and California, showed why they are national powerhouses year in and year out and how any mistake can prove costly.
“We needed to play with more of a sense of urgency,” Schyllander said.
The women, who started the season by winning nine straight games, will continue action against more nationally ranked schools this weekend when the team travels to take on No. 12 USC on Friday and eighth-ranked UCLA on Saturday.