After finishing 9-13 overall and 2-11 in Big Ten play last year, the Oregon women’s tennis team has taken a tremendous step forward. With six regular season matches remaining, the Ducks already have more wins than they finished last season with and have tied their Big Ten win total.

Part of the growth could be attributed to the returning players’ improvement with more experience, but one driving force that has certainly played a factor are the two true freshmen that fit right into the lineup in year one. Virginia Crocker, the No. 1 player out of the state of Louisiana and No. 41 in the United States, has come into Eugene and proven that she is here to win, going 7-4 in singles and 6-2 in doubles alongside fellow freshman Hadley Appling. She is already the No. 3 player in Oregon’s lineup.

Crocker and Appling have not been in the doubles lineup for every match, but when given the opportunity, the freshman duo play like they belong, and we can expect to see more of them in the matches to come.

Before coming to Oregon, Crocker competed in the International Tennis Federation for juniors where she put up a record of 12-8 in her final season. As the daughter of a tennis coach, her journey on the court began very early.

“My dad is a tennis coach,” Crocker said. “That’s when I first started when I was around 7-years-old in New Orleans, Louisiana. I played almost every sport, but I fell in love with tennis.”

Crocker is not focusing on any long term goals. Her main focus is to put her all into every match.

“I just want to play a lot of matches and compete very hard and have fun,” Crocker said.

Another freshman who has found herself regularly in the lineup for doubles and singles is Hinata Furutani. She’s gone up and down in her singles matches, currently sitting at 7-5 as the No. 5 player in the Oregon lineup. Each time Furutani loses a match,  he sees it as an opportunity to learn from her opponent as she continues to grow. Meanwhile, in doubles, she and Juliet Santitto are 8-2. Furutani credits the team around her for her early success.

“I felt so nervous the first match,” Furutani said. “But after that I really don’t feel nervous because everyone cheers up for me.”

Furutani also competed in the Juniors ITF, where she went 5-9 in her final season. Her goal is to be a professional tennis player after college.

Since the start of the season, Oregon’s ranking has only gone up. In the final month of the regular season, with the Ducks sitting at No. 53, there are still some things to prove. With a heavy slate of Big Ten opponents making up the rest of the schedule, this Oregon squad will be tested. Many of them have been through this before, and while the freshmen have not, they have proven that they are ready to rise to the challenge.