The Oregon men’s tennis team’s season was resurrected as the tennis gods shed light upon their darkened hopes for a postseason berth when the NCAA committee announced Wednesday the Ducks are worthy of an invitation to this year’s NCAA Tournament .
The invitation was a relief for the team, according to head coach Chris Russell, and it gives the players new life.
“It’s like we’ve been reincarnated,” Russell said. “At the same time we put ourselves in this situation and we’re responsible for that.”
The announcement marks the third time in the program’s history the Ducks will be participating in the NCAA Tournament.
“We haven’t been able to do this in four years, so this is a big step in the right direction for our program,” Russell said.
Oregon will travel to Oxford, Miss., where it will face No. 22 Vanderbilt, the 2003 NCAA Tournament runner-up, in the first round on May 15.
The Ducks won’t go in without any NCAA Tournament experience: Sophomore transfer Markus Schiller played at Auburn University last year and participated in the NCAA Tournament.
“I went to Mississippi last year with Auburn and I know it is a very hostile place,” Schiller said. “But the NCAA Tournament is a fun atmosphere.”
“He knows the environment and he knows the players, so it should be an advantage,” Russell said.
Russell believes his team will face new challenges in Mississippi.
“That’s tennis country and the heart of the (Southeastern Conference),” he said. “Not only will we be representing Oregon, we will be fighting for the bragging rights of the Pac-10.”
Also announced Wednesday was the Pacific-10 all-conference teams. Junior Sven Swinnen earned first-team honors and junior Manuel Kost garnered second-team honors for the second consecutive year.

Women open at Washington
The Oregon women’s tennis team got its wish and received a berth from the NCAA committee as well, which will take the Ducks to Washington.
“We’re really excited to stay close to home and hopefully some of our fans can make the trip up,” head coach Nils Schyllander said.
The No. 32 Ducks (16-8) will face 31st-ranked New Mexico (20-4) in their first-round match May 15.
Though Schyllander says they aren’t looking ahead, the Ducks are excited to be in this bracket because it gives them the best chance to advance to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
“I think our best chance to win is in this bracket instead of having to go to Stanford or Cal,” Schyllander said.
Schyllander believes the team has been rewarded for a great season by being placed in the Washington bracket and earning a first-round match-up against a team with a similar record.
“We’re very excited to have a chance to possibly play Washington again,” Schyllander said. “But first we have a very tough match against New Mexico. We have a lot of respect for their program.”
Individually, junior Daria Panova was honored by the Pac-10 Wednesday with a first-team all-conference selection. This is the second year in a row the Moscow, Idaho, native has earned this honor.