From top-ranked Stanford to hapless North Carolina State, the Oregon men’s tennis team has seen every level of competition in its first month of dual match play.
This weekend, the Ducks take on the middle portion of the college tennis spectrum. Middle-ranked teams Boise State and Northwestern visit the Student Tennis Center for two non-conference matches. Boise State is ranked No. 43 while Northwestern is No. 41.The Oregon women are also in action this weekend against Portland on Saturday, looking for their third straight win after a 2-0 weekend against UC-Santa Barbara and Boise State.
“Boise State and Northwestern are two great opponents,” men’s coach Chris Russell said. “They’re two great opponents comparable to a team like California. They are the types of teams that we need to beat if we want to get into the NCAA tournament.”
Boise State (2-1) is led by freshman Guillome Bouvier and sophomore Marcus Bernston. Last season, the Broncos upended the Ducks 6-1 in Boise, Idaho. The Ducks and Boise State tangle today at 5 p.m.
Northwestern (2-0) is led by Eugene native Brad Erickson, who was ranked No. 13 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association last season. Joost Hol, who was 20-13 last season, provides a powerful 1-2 punch in singles.
The Wildcats play Oregon on Sunday at noon.
The Ducks (1-3) will be looking to snap a two-match losing streak.
“The young guys are the ones we need to make some big strides,” Russell said. “They’re at the level they need to be at; now it comes down to making the right decisions.”
Sophomore Oded Teig leads the Ducks into action. The Holon, Israel, native is 11-5 on the season.
Another sophomore who has stepped up play this season is Jason Menke. The Beaverton native picked up his first win over a ranked opponent last weekend against Stanford’s Scott Lipsky. Menke is 2-0 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
The women’s match against Portland will be a reunion between the Ducks and Amy Juppenlatz, who transferred from Oregon last season. The Pilots are led by Juppenlatz and seniors Yenny Njoo and twins Erin and Katy Smith.
Sophomore Monika Geiczys leads the Ducks into action with a 5-7 record.
Freshman Davina Mendiburu is looking for her fourth straight singles victory in her fifth match as a Duck.
The Ducks face Portland at 5 p.m. Saturday.