After nearly two months off, the Oregon women’s and men’s tennis teams finally return to the court for competition this weekend to start off the 2004 regular season.
The women will open up the new year at the Pacific-10 Indoor Championships in Seattle beginning today.
Following a fall season that saw junior Daria Panova become the ITA Northwest Regional singles champion and strong play from newcomers Monica Hoz De Vila and Dominika Dieskova, head coach Nils Schyllander said he wants his team to continue to build on that success.
“I’d just like to see how they compete after the break,” Schyllander said. “I’d like to see them make a statement and show that they’re ready to go. That’s what we expect.”
The Ducks, however, received some bad news over the break when it was learned that Panova will be held out of the tournament due to a finger injury. The injury has prevented Panova from hitting backhands the past week. It is a tough break for the Russia native, who won the Pac-10 Indoor singles title last year and will not be able to defend her crown.
Oregon will now look to senior Courtney Nagle to lead the team over the weekend. Nagle was ranked No. 35 nationally in the preseason.
The Pacific-10 Conference is arguably the nation’s premier conference with five teams in the top 11 nationally. Second-ranked Stanford has already developed a dynasty in women’s tennis after winning the national title two times in the last three years and 12 times overall. Oregon currently stands at No. 40 in the nation.
“Every match you play (in the conference) is tough,” Schyllander said. “It doesn’t matter where you play. They are all national type players.”
No. 7-ranked Washington will host this weekend’s tournament. The Huskies are eager to take advantage of their home court and compete in front of their fans at the Lloyd Nordstrom Tennis Center on campus.
“(This tournament) has been an avenue for all of the northwest teams to gain access to the powerhouses in the Pac-10,” Washington head coach Patty McCain said. “Having the opportunity to get on the court and compete with those teams means that our players are less intimidated later in the season against them.”
The Huskies, along with Stanford, are aware of the potential Oregon possesses and commend the job Schyllander has done with the program. Cardinal head coach Lele Forood said the Ducks continue to get stronger and are especially deep this season with their talented freshmen.
However, Oregon would like to avoid any significant injuries this year, which have plagued them in the past. The concern right now is getting Panova’s finger and senior Davina Mendiburu’s knee back to full strength for the dual matches coming up.

Men visit Corvallis
The men will begin their new season traveling north for the Corvallis John and Phi’s Tournament before dual matches later this month.
The Ducks will try to regain their focus after the layoff that saw many stay in Eugene to play in local tournaments.
“One thing (the players) miss is getting matches,” Oregon head coach Chris Russell said. “We’re looking forward to getting these guys rolling and getting a little finely tuned.”