It was a weekend of Northwest competition for the Oregon men’s and women’s tennis teams.
While most Duck sports teams are rivals with Washington and Oregon State, the women’s tennis team has an unlikely regional rival — Washington State.
Through the past four years, more contests between the Ducks and the Cougars have come down to the last match than in any other rivalry. Sunday’s match with the Cougars was no different.
No. 48 Oregon came into Spokane, Wash., with six straight losses and two defeats against Washington State in 2000. The match against the Cougars lived up to expectations.
Washington State continued to frustrate Oregon by winning yet another close match. Senior Tamara Filipovic won a gut-wrenching 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 singles match against junior transfer Vickie Gunnarsson to clinch the match for Washington State.
The win completed a Cougar comeback after Oregon jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
The Ducks captured the ever-important doubles point off wins by Janice Nyland and Davina Mendiburu (8-4), and Adeline Arnaud and Jeanette Mattsson (8-3).
Mendiburu, a freshman, easily defeated Anna Dybicz in the first singles match, 6-3, 6-0.
The Cougars responded with three straight singles wins to snatch the lead from Oregon for good. Mattsson and Arnaud both fought hard but dropped two overtime sets to fall at the No. 3 and 4 positions. An injury-hampered Monika Geiczys was forced to retire against No. 37 Erica Perkins at the No. 1 position to give Washington State a 3-2 lead.
Nyland tied the match at 3-3 with another two-set, overtime victory over Zorana Roganovic, 7-6, 7-6.
Filipovic’s three-set victory in the final match resembled last year’s Washington State victory, in which the Cougars bounced back from a 4-2 deficit to sweep doubles competition and win, 5-4.
The road-weary Ducks had dropped a 6-1 contest to No. 17 Washington two days earlier in Seattle. The match was Oregon’s sixth straight road loss. The Ducks captured the doubles point off wins by Mendiburu and Nyland (9-7), and Arnaud and Mattsson (8-4) before being swept in singles.
Oregon dropped to 3-8 overall, 0-7 in the Pacific-10 Conference. After spring break, the Ducks continue their month-long road swing in San Diego against Harvard and San Diego.

Men reign in home finale

When the Oregon men’s tennis team matches up with Portland State, it’s hard to call such a lopsided contest a rivalry.
After what transpired at the Student Tennis Center on Sunday, though, the Vikings might play a more inspired match next time around.
The No. 69 Oregon men gave up only seven points while scoring 96 of their own against hapless Portland State. The Ducks swept the Vikings 7-0 in the final home match of the season for Oregon.
“I thought the team handled it well and dominated with class, which I think is important,” head coach Chris Russell said. “A match like this helps a little with confidence, but it’s not going to boost us up to a real high level.”
Sophomore Jason Menke and the tandem of freshmen Greg Dubourdieu and Chris King each swept Portland State opponents. Menke scored a 6-0, 6-0 victory while Dubourdieu and King teamed up for an 8-0 doubles win against the Vikings.