Oregon (15-9, 5-5 Pac-12) knew it was going to have a tough path to fight through in the Austin regional of the NCAA tournament. No. 18 Michigan (20-5, 10-1 Big Ten) was far from a lucky draw for a Ducks team so inexperienced in postseason play. 

A first round exit wasn’t the goal for No. 37 Oregon, but it became reality on Friday when the Ducks fell 4-0 to the Wolverines.

Michigan never trailed in Friday’s match and it started with a comeback in doubles play. Oregon was unable to secure the doubles point despite leading in all three matches. Only Karin Young and Myah Petchey were able to close out their doubles victory. The Wolverines’ rally in the other two sets gave the Big Ten champs a lead that they wouldn’t surrender. 

Nicole Hammond extended Michigan’s lead with a shutout win over Oregon’s Ares Teixido Garcia. Hammond’s 6-2 and 6-0 victories in the No. 3 spot finished first and put the Ducks in a serious hole to climb out of in order to keep the 2022 season alive. 

Young fell in the No. 4 spot for just her third singles loss of the season. Her 6-4 and 6-1 losses to Andrea Cerdan brought Michigan one point closer to a match with No. 4 Texas in the Austin Regional Final.

Petchey losing in the No. 2 spot sealed it. Match over; tournament run cut short; season ended. 

Two singles set wins became all Oregon had to show on the day. Sophie Luescher and Uxia Martinez Moral were able to win sets, but not matches en route to the Ducks’ fourth shutout loss on the year.

Oregon’s final record of 15-9 stands as the winningest season in the young Courtney Nagle era. The Ducks’ best season in four years builds program momentum to carry into next season. With such a young roster, there’s hope for the future, but a tough loss in Austin starts a long hiatus until 2023.