In his three seasons at the helm of the Oregon women’s tennis program, head coach Nils Schyllander has never enjoyed a finer season than this one.
Oregon (16-7 overall, 3-5 Pacific-10 Conference) boasts three players ranked in the nation’s top 110 and is ranked No. 27 in
the nation. Last season, Oregon finished with a 17-9 record
and was a participant in the NCAA Tournament.
However, Schyllander believes this year’s squad tops last year’s by a wide margin, because his players now have the experience of competing at the national scene.
“This is the best season that I’ve ever been a part of, you know, even better than last year,” Schyllander said. “Last year, we talked about that season being a season of firsts. We played a tougher schedule, we have lesser losses and the same amount of wins, so we feel very good about it.”
As the regular season ended with a 6-1 road victory over Washington State on Sunday, Oregon now looks forward to the Pac-10 Individual Championships beginning today.
“Anytime you go into the postseason, you want to go in with some momentum,” Schyllander said. “And anytime you play Washington State, it’s a great thing, because they’ve been a rival for many years.”
Unlike the regular season when all matches were team-based, the Ducks will now have to shift their focus toward achieving individual goals.
The individual championships crown the best singles player and doubles tandem in the conference.
“All season long, we’ve been talking about team, team, team and put individual goals aside,” Schyllander said. “Now I think it’s time for some people to try to achieve some of their individual goals.”
Three Ducks — seniors Daria Panova and Davina Mendiburu, and sophomore Dominika Dieskova — are scheduled to compete in the championship singles main draw, along with 29 other players.
Panova, 22, is no stranger to success at the conference tournament.
The Moscow, Russia, native
already has three Pac-10 singles championships on her resumé, including two in the 2003 season where she was honored as the
Pac-10 Player of the Year. Panova has earned a No. 5 seed and will face off against Southern California’s Dianne Matias in the first round.
Mendiburu, 22, has had a career-best season with a singles record of 23-7. Her success earned her an individual ranking for the first time in her four years at Oregon — she is ranked No. 107 in the nation.
The Menton, France, native is the No. 10 seed and will battle Washington’s Dea Sumantri in the first round.
“She put it together, she has done what seniors are supposed to do,” Schyllander said. “Davina has stepped up big this season.”
Dieskova, the third Duck in the main draw, has also had a great season, solidifying the top of the singles lineup. The 19-year-old compiled a 21-12 singles record, earning her a No. 82 national ranking. Dieskova is the No. 18 seed and will square off against Stanford’s Theresa Logar in the first round.
Dieskova said she feels as prepared as she has all season long for the tournament with one goal in mind — to win it all.
“I want to win this tournament. My goal is to play my best tennis, and then it will take care of itself,” Dieskova said. “So I just want to play hard and play good tennis and go as far as I can.”
The first two rounds of the main draw conclude today, and the finals will be held on Sunday.