The Oregon women’s tennis team ended its NCAA Tournament run in the first round on Saturday morning when No. 30 North Carolina State defeated the Ducks 4-2 in Athens, Georgia.
It has been a decade since the Ducks last qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The Ducks jumped out to an early lead with the doubles victory. Julia Eshet and Shweta Sangwan were the first to lose, 6-1, but the duo of Marlou Kluiving and Nia Rose followed up with a 6-3 win on their court. Oregon sealed the doubles point when Alyssa Tobita and Rifanty Kahfiani notched a 6-4 victory.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the singles as the Ducks and NC State fought for the lead. The Wolfpack scored their first point after Rose was the first to fall. Sangwan brought the Ducks back to the lead with a win on her court, but then Kluiving lost to tie things up.
North Carolina State eventually came away with the win after scoring two straight wins against Tobita and Eshet, ending one of the most memorable seasons for the Ducks. In 2017, Oregon scored two program firsts in defeating UCLA and USC.
“It really stings since we put ourselves in a great position to win,” Tobita said in a news release. “But, I don’t want the team to forget all the great things we did this year. I’m proud of what we’ve done and I’m excited to go after it for my last year next season.”
Kluiving, a senior, ended her final season at Oregon with a singles record of 21-9. Her overall record of 67-28 ranks her fifth on the all-time list.
The pair of Kluiving and Eshet led the Ducks in doubles wins this season with a record of 19-6.
Oregon’s overall record of 14-11 is the team’s best finish since the 2005-06 season. Oregon’s 6-4 mark in Pac-12 play is the team’s best conference record since 2004-05.
“It was amazing for us to get here and a wonderful experience to build upon for next year and next season,” head coach Alison Silverio said in a release.
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