It was a good way start to a career, and for that matter, the 2000-01 season.
Freshman Courtney Nagle sparked the Oregon women’s tennis team in its first outing of the season at the San Diego State Fall Classic.
The freshman from Danville, Calif. stormed through her flight, winning all three of her matches en route to the championship.
Nagle fought her way into the final, facing three Aztecs playing on their home court. In opening round play, Nagle came back after losing the first set against San Diego State’s Erin Polowski, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. On Saturday, she swept Aztec Kristine Avenando, 6-3, 6-0. Nagle won the championship with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over Emilie Auerbrant.
Oregon’s No. 1 player, Monika Geiczys, also performed well. The Sopot, Poland native placed third in her flight, routing San Diego’s Heather Polumbus 6-0, 6-0. Geiczys narrowly missed a spot in the flight. A portion finals with a three-set loss to SDSU’s Lindsay Hedberg.
Three other Ducks rebounded from first-round losses to clinch consolation titles. Sophomore Jeanette Mattsson defeated UC-Santa Barbara’s Debbie Pepkowitz, 6-2, 6-2 to win the flight B consolation title.
Oregon newcomer Vickie Gunnarson swept UC-Santa Barbara’s Gaby Andrado, 6-6, 6-2 for the flight C consolation title. Gunnarson is a junior transfer from Northern Arizona, where she was the Lumberjacks No. 1 player over the last two seasons.
Junior Adeline Arnaud defeated the Guachos’ Sara Fukishima, 6-0, 6-1 for third place.
“We are working our kinks out,” Oregon coach Jack Griffin said. “We performed well and played hard, but we still need to improve. This is our first event of the season and I think we look a lot better than the last couple years.”
Rebounding from opening round losses in the consolation bracket were junior Janice Nyland and sophomore Jeanette Mattsson.
In doubles play, the team of Nyland and Gunnarson placed third in the A flight with an 8-2 victory over UC-Santa Barbara’s Amman and Petkowitz. The tandem lost to eventual champion Katja Karrento and Whitney Wells in the semifinals.
Arnaud and Mattsson combined to win the third-place title in flight B by sweeping the co-op team of San Diego’s Kristine Avendano and San Diego State’s Kim Seppi, 8-0.
Nagle and Geiczys won the flight A consolation title with an 8-1 win over UC-Irvine’s Natalie Exon and Amy Tranchino.
Oregon will face all four of the opponents it saw in San Diego in dual match play later in the season.
The Ducks will not have much of a break in action before their next tournament, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championships in Los Angeles. The tournament is one of the largest collegiate tournaments in the nation and the second leg of the ITA Grand Slam.