The Oregon men’s tennis team played well in the bottom of the lineup but struggled at the top and in doubles during its weekend split.
The Ducks lost 4-3 at No. 69 Boise State on Friday but bounced back to beat Loyola Marymount, 6-1, on Sunday to bring their record to 6-2.
Oregon lost all three doubles matches against the Broncos on Friday. At No. 1, junior Jason Menke and sophomore Martin Pawlowski lost, 8-4. Junior Oded Teig and freshman Sven Swinnen lost, 8-5, and freshmen Manuel Kost and Johan Paalberg lost, 8-3.
“They outplayed us by serving faster along with a high first-serve percentage,” head coach Chris Russell said. “We needed to be more prepared for the faster play.”
In singles, the Ducks won three out of the six matches, one short of what they needed to win the match.
Teig and Kost lost in the top two spots, and Menke lost at No. 4. Pawlowski won 7-6, 7-5, at No. 3.
Swinnen and sophomore Chris King won both their matches at the bottom of the order.
The Ducks returned home on Sunday and played better from top to bottom to earn the victory.
After winning all three doubles matches, Oregon won five of the six in singles. The No. 5 and No. 6 spots played well again for the Ducks, both winning in straight sets.
“We are a combined 14-2 at No. 5 and No. 6, and we hope we can continue this,” Russell said. “That is a tribute to the competitiveness for those last couple of spots in the lineup.”
Russell said that King’s play lately has earned him a spot in the lineup. King didn’t play singles against Washington loss or the victories over Brigham Young and Northern Arizona.
Next weekend, Oregon will travel away from the Northwest for the first time this season. The Ducks will play New Mexico State, Texas-Arlington and New Mexico. All three matches will be played outdoors.
“This week we are preparing mentally for the adversity and differences of playing on the road, such as wind, altitude, home crowds and umpires,” Russell said. “Physically, we need to be ready for faster-style play.”

Women’s Tennis
The Oregon women’s tennis team came up short twice on the road last weekend, losing at No. 12 Washington and at No. 29 Washington State.
On Saturday, the Ducks were shutout, 7-0, by the Huskies. Sophomores Davina Mendiburu and Courtney Nagle earned the only win in doubles for the Ducks, but Oregon lost the other two and lost the doubles point.
Nagle earned the only singles victory for the Ducks in a 6-1 loss to the Cougars on Sunday.
Oregon’s record fell to 6-5 (0-4 Pacific-10 Conference).
“We played tentative and scared, and we paid the price for it,” head coach Jack Griffin said. “We just need to get back into things.”