The Oregon women’s tennis team has officially reached the gauntlet of its season: conference play. The Pac-12 is looking absolutely stacked, with many teams already collecting impressive non conference victories. The conference features nine ranked teams, 20 ranked players and half a dozen ranked duos according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings. 

“We’re a better team than we were last year,” Oregon coach Courtney Nagle said on Jan. 20. “It’s exciting. We want to make the tournament again and see if we can knock off some top 20 teams. That would be a good growth piece for us.”

Oregon had a historic 2022, going 15-9 last season and made the National Tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 season. As the Ducks look to improve last season’s 5-5 conference record and second round Pac-12 tournament exit, they’ll have to upset some powerful teams as well as dominate the less impressive squads 

“I’m looking forward to playing [the California schools] here at home,” Sophie Luescher said on Feb. 4. “Those are big California schools at the end of the season, and I think we can build up for that final [test]. 

As you’ll soon see on the list, those aforementioned California schools are looking dangerously good this year. But there’s plenty of time for the Ducks to prepare for those matches like Luescher mentioned. Oregon’s first conference match is this Saturday against Arizona, but where do the Ducks stack up as Pac-12 play begins? I looked at each team’s ranking, roster and schedule and composed a ranking of the 11 Pac-12 women’s tennis teams (thanks a lot OSU).

1. No. 13 Stanford Cardinal (6-2)

Stanford is coming off a 2021-22 campaign that saw the Cardinal go 16-9 and earn a Sweet 16 appearance in the National Tournament. This season, Stanford is ranked No. 13 and is already looking as good as advertised. A slew of ranked players including No. 5 Connie Ma, No. 20 Angelica Blake, No. 25 Alexandra Yepifanova and No. 72 Alexis Blokhina have led the Cardinal to wins over No. 10 Texas, No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 40 Florida State so far in 2023. Their only two losses came at the hands of No. 6 Georgia and No. 11 Duke. Their studded lineup also features the No. 57 ranked duo of Ma and Blake. Stanford is my clear pick to win the Pac-12 this season. The Ducks will host the Cardinal on April 7, and look to knock off the early favorites. 

2. No. 31 USC Trojans (6-2)

The Trojans are also looking really talented so far in 2023. They’ve picked up wins over No. 37 San Diego and No. 62 Loyola Marymount, and their only losses have been to No. 10 Texas and No. 14 Notre Dame. USC rosters includes No. 4 Madison Sieg, No. 24 Eryn Cayetano, No. 43 Snow Han, No. 111 McKenna Koenig, No. 124 Emma Charney and a couple of top-ranked duos of No. 19 Naomi Cheong & Han and No. 29 Cayetano & Sieg. If the Trojans can have that one-two punch in doubles play and an abundance of star power in singles play, they’ll be incredibly tough to beat and be much better than their 18-12 record from a season ago. Oregon’s final home match of the season will come against USC on April 16.

3. No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils (8-2)

Arizona State is off to a scorching hot start in the desert. The Sun Devils are already putting together a solid resume despite losses to No. 3 Ohio State and No. 23 UCF. Arizona State made the championship match of last year’s Pac-12 Tournament, and No. 91 Giulia Morlet, No. 114 Domenika Turkovic, No. 116 Chelsea Fontenel and No. 123 Marianna Argyrokastriti look to build off that momentum in 2023. The Sun Devils also have the No. 14 ranked duo of Patricija Spaka & Turkovic. Arizona State was 17-8 last season and was a second round exit in the National Tournament. This year, ASU will host the Ducks on March 5. 

4. No. 26 Washington Huskies (7-3)

Yep. Those guys are good this year. Washington has knocked off No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 46 Baylor so far in 2023. The Huskies went 14-12 last year, but their resume earned them an NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, Washington is led by No. 93 Jennifer Kerr and No. 100 Hikaru Sato. The Huskies will likely use their early season losses to No. 10 Texas and No. 11 Duke to fuel their competitive fire and make a case for a deep Pac-12 Tournament run. Oregon will play Washington in Seattle this season on April 2. 

5. No. 55 California Golden Bears (3-3)

Cal was really good last year. The Bears went 18-8 in 2023 with a Sweet 16 appearance in the National Tournament. This year, No. 36 Jessica Alsola and No. 122 Katja Wiersholm are back for more. The two also team up to create the No. 16 ranked duo in the country. I’m concerned about the small sample size the Bears have provided so far, but their three losses all come against ranked teams. Cal fell to No. 4 North Carolina State, No. 37 San Diego and No. 30 Miami, but took down No. 33 Princeton earlier this year. I have hope for the Bears based on last year’s performance and returning talent, but only time will tell if my intuitions are correct. Cal comes to Eugene for a date with the Ducks on April 9. 

6. No. 63 UCLA Bruins (3-2)

Again, I have some reservations about how few matches the Bruins have played so far in 2023. They dropped matches to No. 7 Iowa State and No. 50 Florida International University but beat No. 62 Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25. Last year, UCLA was 13-7 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A squad consisting of No. 57 Fangran Tian, No. 64 Ava Catanzarite and No. 84 Kimmi Hance will look to do even better this year. The Bruins have the No. 6 ranked duo – the best of any Pac-12 school – in Hance & Elise Wagle, and will look to take down Oregon in Eugene on April 14. 

7. No. 53 Oregon Ducks (7-3)

I have some questions about how the Ducks will fare in Pac-12 play this year. Can Myah Petchey snap out of the funk she’s in to start the season? Can the Ducks’ young roster compete with the experience other Pac-12 teams possess? By beating No. 64 Iowa, Oregon showed that on its best days it can hang with talented teams. But losses to No. 17 Kansas, No. 35 Oklahoma State and No. 75 Fresno State make me wonder if Oregon can compete with ranked opponents week in and week out like its conference schedule will require. So for now, The Ducks sit in the middle of the pack, but I could see them playing their way higher or lower on this list as the season progresses. 

8. No. 43 Arizona Wildcats (10-5)

Oregon’s first conference test of the season comes against another team that I just can’t quite pin yet. The Wildcats have 10 wins so far, but aside from a victory over No. 75 Fresno State, I struggle to find super high quality wins on Arizona’s resume. Losses to No. 27 Illinois and No. 28 Texas Tech bring up similar concerns as Oregon. Seems like a perfect first match. The Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last year despite their 16-11 record and don’t have any ranked players or duos this year. This is exactly the type of team that the Ducks absolutely have to be able to beat to make any noise in the Pac-12 or ITA rankings. Arizona hosts Oregon on March 3 to kick off conference play for both schools.

9. No. 56 Utah Utes (8-3)

Utah was pretty average in 2022, throwing together a 15-11 and a No. 9 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. The Utes missed the National Tournament last year and lost 3-4 at home to the Ducks. In 2023, Utah doesn’t have any ranked players or duos and plays Oregon in Eugene, so I don’t see much to be excited about for the Utes in 2023. They did beat No. 39 ranked Denver and No. 72 Indiana, but fell to No. 36 Maryland and No. 60 Minnesota. They’ll play the Ducks on March 19 for a match that Oregon needs to win.

10.  Washington State Cougars (7-4)

I fear it’ll be another long tennis season in Pullman. The Cougars are coming off an 8-15 2022 effort and fail to have any notable players on their roster this season. A couple of wins over No. 75 Fresno State and No. 60 Minnesota provide some hope, but losses to No. 15 Virginia and No. 47 Nebraska leave me feeling like this Washington State team will be reminiscent of last year’s: a Pac-12 doormat.

11. Colorado Buffaloes (7-3)

Unlike every other team in the conference, the Buffs don’t have any ranked wins so far this season, but they do have losses to No. 39 Denver, No. 47 Nebraska and No. 72 Indiana. Its unimpressive resume, mixed with last year’s 8-14 record and last place finish in the conference, leave much to be desired for Colorado women’s tennis. Maybe the Buffaloes can mess around and surprise me, but I very much doubt it. The Ducks will play their first home conference game of the year against Colorado on March 17.