After finishing winless in the Pacific-10 Conference last season, the Oregon men’s tennis team will use team experience and unity to compete in the conference this season.
“We need to build team unity and work on new techniques in a competitive atmosphere,” junior Jason Menke said. “It’s also important for us to gain valuable match experience.”
The Ducks will begin their season at the San Diego All-Colleges tournament, beginning Friday.
“In order for us to win the San Diego tournament, it would take a high level of focus from every member of our team, a couple of breaks to go our way,” Menke said. “Anything is possible.”
Oregon is hoping to use this tournament as a jump-start into the fall season, which consists of two other tournaments — the ITA Regional in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Duck Classic in Eugene.
Menke said that while it’s nice to win matches early, it’s more important for the team to work hard and together as a team.
“We need to apply what our coaches have been beating into us during practice,” Menke said. “If we do this, we may not get the results now, but they will come later on during the regular season, when it really matters. Also, I think building a strong sense of team unity is huge right now, and that will certainly come into effect during the regular season.”
Finishing 19-12 last season, junior Oded Teig opens the 2001-02 season ranked No. 73 in the nation for the Ducks.
Head coach Chris Russell said he expects Stanford, UCLA, California, Washington and Southern California to finish in the top five in the Pac-10 this season.
Russell said his goal for the team is to finish in the middle of the Pac-10 and to be competitive in every match.
“To meet our goals, we need to secure one more top player and then evolve with our mental toughness since we will not graduate anyone until June of 2002,” said Russell, the Pac-10 coach of the year in 2000.

Women’s tennis skips
Los Angeles tourney
With no seniors on the team, the women’s tennis team finished 0-7 in the Pac-10 last season, but the Ducks never hung their heads.
“Last year was rough, but we knew that we’re playing in the strongest conference in the country,” senior Janice Nyland said. “Plus we had a lot of injuries that hurt us in those close matches.”
The team finished 5-17 overall last year with seven one-point losses.
“Without the injuries, we probably win most of those close matches,” Nyland said.
Nyland said staying healthy is a top priority for the team this fall.
“Right now we’re all healthy and fit and were all able to run a mile in the required 6:25 time,” she said.
Returning every player from last year means this year’s team has Pac-10 experience, which Nyland said is key to their success.
“All the younger players have played conference matches,” Nyland said. “We feel we can beat all these teams in the Pac-10.”
The Ducks enter the regular season with two main goals: To make the NCAA Tournament, win at least one round and earn the respect of their peers.
“We don’t think we’re getting the respect of the rest of the Pac-10,” Nyland said. “I know we finished last, but we know we can compete with the best in the conference.”
Head coach Jack Griffin said the team also wanted national respect.
“We will earn the respect of our peers in the Pac-10 and nationally for being a team that battled every match and competed with class and sportsmanship,” Griffin said. “The team is dedicated to making strides in these areas and they are excited to get going with the year so that they can erase the frustrations of last year.”
Griffin said he expects Stanford, UCLA, California and Southern California to finish in the top four in the Pac-10.
“Do I feel we will contend for a Pac-10 championship this season? No,” he said. “But I do feel that we can move up the Pac-10 ranks and put a scare into some of the top teams in the conference.”
Griffin canceled his team’s trip to the ITA All-American tournament in Los Angeles because it’s a single-elimination tournament and a bad seeding could send the team home early.
The team will use the extra time to prepare for the Rolex Regional tournament in Palo Alto, Calif. The tournament begins Oct. 26.
“We’re all excited and eager to start this season,” Nyland said. “After going through last year, we are more together and really close as a team.”