So much for the winning streak. Conference play is a whole different deal. 

It was no secret that No. 25 Stanford (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12) and No. 10 Cal (7-5, 1-0 Pac-12) were going to be strong contenders in 2022. Both the Cardinal and the Bears had their strength on full display over the weekend as they handed Oregon (8-4, 0-2 Pac-12) its first two losses since January.

Friday at Stanford and Sunday at Cal were Oregon’s first conference games of the 2022 season, and the Ducks seemed ill-prepared for the tougher competition, dropping them 6-1 and 5-2, respectively.
The seven game win streak and impressive recent scoring run had the Ducks flying high into California. They hoped the momentum built over the past month would carry over into the two game road trip.

The 6-1 loss to Stanford on Friday was a harsh awakening.

Unable to win the doubles point, Oregon turned to singles play, relying on four of six Ducks to secure points. When all six players dropped their first set, reality began to set in.
Only freshman Karin Young, playing in the No. 6 spot, was able to rally and steal a point from the talented Cardinal squad. Four of the five other Oregon players were swept in their matches.

Stanford proved that it’s worthy of its high ranking. On the backs of No. 17 Alexandra Yepifanova, No. 18 Connie Ma and No. 65 Valencia Xu, the Cardinal dominated the Ducks from start to finish to snap Oregon’s winning streak. 

Time to regroup. Time to settle in for Cal.

Not so much.

Sunday’s 5-2 loss in Berkeley was just as poor from the singles. For the second game in a row, only Young was able to win her set. Ducks numbers one through five all lost.

The only difference between the two matches was doubles play. Oregon won the doubles point over the Golden Bears. Lillian Mould and Ares Teixido Garcia along with Allison Mulvile and Myah Petchey grabbed an early 1-0 lead on Sunday, but even this point was a struggle to claim with both winning sets going to extra frames. 
The good news for the Ducks is that Stanford and Cal were both among some of the top programs in the Pac-12, so some of the toughest opponents are out of the way early. But if the Ducks performance this weekend is any indication of what’s to come, it could quickly become a very long season for Oregon.

The Ducks will have some time off now before hosting Arizona (March 18) and Arizona State (March 20) in Eugene. These will be crucial bounce back opportunities for Oregon to see if it’ll be able to compete in the talented Pac-12.