After successful play last weekend, capped off by transfer Markus Schiller’s tournament win, the Oregon men want to see their competition carry over to the home opener of the dual match season.
The Ducks will match up against Santa Clara at the Student Tennis Center on Sunday starting at noon.
Schiller, in only his second collegiate season, defeated all six of his opponents at the Corvallis John and Phil’s Tournament in straight sets. The Ducks will look to him to provide quality depth on a young squad that has just one senior, Chris King.
Santa Clara is considered the opposite of Oregon in terms of experience. The Broncos can boast three seniors, led by Gernot Fischer, who holds a 13-3 overall record and will play at the No. 1 dual position. All three returning seniors were named to the All-West Coast Conference team last season.
Second-year Broncos head coach George Husack said he wants to improve on last year’s 9-15 overall record and he feels his team is confident enough to do it.
“We have a solid mix of players who believe they can accomplish a lot this season,” Husack said. “It’s an exciting time and we’re ready to get things rolling.”
After an 8-5 nonconference record last year, Russell said the Ducks will only improve by getting as much experience possible.
“Anytime you get a chance to play matches, you improve individually and as a team,” Russell said. “Hopefully by the time we open on Sunday, we’ll be chomping at the bit (and) ready to go.”

Women host opener
The Oregon women will take the court for the first time since junior Daria Panova’s third-straight Pac-10 Conference singles title last weekend as they host No. 55 Sacramento State, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The Hornets came in first place in the Big Sky Conference last year and are led by 45th-ranked Margarita Karnaukhova and No. 53 Anna Erikson.
Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander is aware that their upcoming opponent, who has earned two bids to the NCAA Tournament in as many seasons, will be a difficult challenge.
“We are extremely excited to start our dual season,” Schyllander said. “At this point our main focus is to get healthy and be as prepared as we possibly can be. Sacramento State is a program on the rise with some very talented players on their roster.”
The Ducks will host Nevada later in the day at 6 p.m.